Supernatural: the Next Generation
by Winchestergirl5
Summary: Fast forward to 2029, to the lives of Dean, Mer, and their friends' children. Are John and Jude hunters? Are John and Renee still two peas in a pod? What about the twins? This story follows the lives of the next generation of the Winchesters and Walshes.
1. The Next Generation

**Author's Note: **AT LAST! I've had this saved on my computer for a couple of weeks now and have been DYING to publish it. But, I didn't want to spoil anything in the Over the Hills and Far Away story and by that, I didn't want to spoil the whole twins surprise thing. But here we are. And I'm really excited to write this. Reviews are certainly appreciated!

I hate Supernatural hiatuses. So I will update (hopefully) quite a lot tonight.

***PLEASE listen to "Steer" by Missy Higgins when you read this chapter. Thanks!***

**Monday, August 20, 2029**

"You are so hot," Jamie Callahan smirked in between kisses.

"You too, baby. Thanks for last night though. I'll see you at school," John Caleb Winchester said, before pulling away. The girl smiled at him and John smiled his charming, slick, heartbreaking crooked smile back at the girl. John opened the window and hopped out of it. He was glad it was a one story house because those two story houses always got tricky. John's shoes followed and John slipped them on before hurrying to the Impala. He put the keys in the ignition, turned on the classic rock station, and sped away.

John Winchester arrived at his house at 1352 Sycamore Court. The house was quiet so he parked the car and tiptoed into the house, up to his room and got in bed. He glanced at the clock that read 6:30 – August 20, 2029. School started at eight thirty, so he had about a good half hour more minutes to sleep. It didn't take him long to get ready for school and he'd have a quick breakfast. John was exhausted, but he smirked to himself as he replayed the events of last night over and over in his mind.

_So worth it_, he thought to himself.

He closed his eyes in attempt to get some shut eye.

Victoria was already up and heard her brother sneak in through the back door. She rolled her eyes. Ever since her brother had started his senior year, his late night visit to whatever girl he was fucking that week had become much more frequent. She turned the water on and stripped off her clothes and jumped in the shower.

Flynn woke up to hear the shower running. He groaned. He wanted to take a shower first and he knew that his twin sister always took forever in the shower and would use up all the hot water. He went to the Jack and Jill bathroom that they shared and knocked on the door obnoxiously.

"What?" Victoria yelled.

"It's me. How long are you going to take?" Flynn grumbled.

"Hold on! I just need to finish washing my hair. Jeez!" Victoria said back. Flynn groaned and then got back in his bed. He closed his eyes but couldn't fall back asleep. He just listened to the shower run before the water went off. Victoria opened the door, a towel wrapped around her slim body.

"I'm done, okay? It's all yours," she scoffed, before closing the door and going back into her room.

"Sweet," Flynn said, almost to himself, going into the bathroom, stripping off his boxers, and starting his own shower. "Damn it, Victoria! You used all the hot water!" Instead of actual words, Victoria responded with the shut of her door.

Jude Winchester looked around his neat and tidy room, waking up. It was about seven and he could smell breakfast being made. Jude had just gotten back from medical program in Peru and looked around his room. It almost looked a guest room but then again, sometimes this house felt like a guest room. Jude was rarely ever home between school, applying for med school and the summer programs that he was doing. He had been working in a clinic in Costa Rica the summer before and wasn't home very often anymore. Jude hadn't been home at all this summer except for the first couple of weeks that he was out of school and up until a few days ago. He felt bad, but he would start school right after Labor Day, anyways.

Jude got up and threw on a shirt before going downstairs.

"Hey, Mom," he said, kissing his mother on the cheek. His mom, Meredith, stood in the kitchen scrambling up some eggs.

"Hey, you. How'd you sleep?" Meredith asked back.

"Great! It's uh, definitely different from Peru and all of its jungles," Jude replied.

"You'd think," Meredith replied.

Jude chuckled, "Need any help?"

"No, I'm good, but thanks. I figured I'd scramble up some eggs, make some bacon, and you guys could just have cereal or something," Meredith said back.

"I can do bacon!" Jude volunteered.

"Sweetie, you just got back from Peru," Meredith reasoned.

"Mom, I was working, I'm not an invalid," Jude said.

"Alright, fine if you really want to help," Meredith said back.

"I do," Jude replied. He got the bacon from the fridge and found another sauté pan.

"Smells great in here," a voice said. Meredith turned around as soon as she saw her husband Dean. She smiled and he pulled his wife into his arms.

"Hi, baby," he said, before kissing her.

"Aw come on guys," Jude groaned.

"Hey, I thought you were past that whole 'kissing girls is gross' phase," Dean said.

"I am but uh… not when my parents do it. You guys used to like, full on make out in front of me. I haven't missed this part one bit," Jude said, shaking his head.

"You haven't missed what part?" Victoria asked, coming into the kitchen. Her hair was still damp from her shower but she had dried it enough. She was all ready and dressed for school as she sat down.

"Mom and Dad making out in the kitchen every morning," Jude replied.

"Oh, yeah, can't wait to stop waking up to that every morning," Victoria added.

"Hey, we're not that bad!" Meredith protested.

"We have toned it down a little bit," Dean added.

"Sure," Victoria and Jude both said, unconvinced.

"Good morning, fellow Winchesters!" John called, coming into the room and taking a piece of bacon right from the frying pan.

"Watch out. It's hot," Meredith warned, shaking her head at her son as he didn't listen to her.

"Why are you so cheery this morning?" Jude asked, giving his younger brother a funny look.

"Oh you know, beautiful day," John replied casually.

"Yeah, that or the skank that he spent last night with seems to have put him in a good mood," Victoria said. John's eyes widened and he made a motion towards Victoria that read 'don't say anything or you're dead'.

"Victoria, watch the language!" Meredith exclaimed.

"Sorry, Mom," Victoria muttered.

"Ohhhh John is in his skank phase. Typical," Jude snickered.

"What?" Victoria asked.

"Oh come on. Every Winchester man goes through his skank phase. It's like a rite of passage. Isn't it, Dad?" Jude asked back.

"Oh God," Meredith groaned.

"Well uh, I guess you could say- oh who am I kidding, I'll just be honest with you. Hell yeah it is!" Dean admitted, joining the boys in their riled up conversation.

"Oh don't encourage him, Dad," Victoria said, rolling her eyes at her immature brothers.

"So… Mom if Dad had his skank phase, does that mean before you were all nice and homey and teacherly, that you had a-." John started.

"No, I was not the least bit skanky!" Meredith interjected, defending herself.

"But she does look hot dressed like one. There was this one hunt at a strip bar that-," Dean smirked.

"Aw Dad," Jude groaned.

"We didn't need to know that!" John exclaimed, covering his ears.

"See what you started?" Victoria shot back. Jude just stuck his tongue out at his younger sister. Finally, Flynn came into the kitchen and looked around at his family.

"I feel like I missed something," he said, before going to the cabinets and getting out a box of cereal. Flynn grabbed a bowl for his cereal and sat down at the kitchen table as soon as he saw that the milk was already out on the table.

"Well, we were just talking about Mom and her stripper days," John joked.

"Mom, you were a stripper?" Flynn exclaimed in surprise.

"No, I was not a stripper! John, stop talking," I said.

"Hey, Victoria started it with bringing up something that I wasn't doing last night… at all. I was just out with a couple of friends. We went out and got food, drove around some. You guys have nothing to worry about," John lied, shamelessly.

"Right," Flynn mumbled to himself, not buying into his older brother's lie.

"I didn't start this. Jude started it with his talk of the Winchester rite of passage of the skank phase," Victoria shot back.

"I did not!" Jude protested.

"You did too," Victoria argued back.

"I did not. You're stupid," Jude said.

"You're stupider," Victoria shot back.

"No, you're stupider," Jude said.

"Kids, let's just agree to disagree on this one. It doesn't matter who started this one and your mother is not a stripper," Dean intervened.

"Thank you, honey," I said, kissing Dean once.

"You're welcome, babe," Dean smirked.

"Okay the eggs are done. Why don't we all just try to sit down to a nice breakfast and try not to kill each other?" I suggested.

"Sounds great, Mom," John said.

"Suck up," Jude coughed.

"I'm going to get the paper," Flynn said, before excusing himself from the kitchen. He loved his family but sometimes he needed a little peace and quiet. Flynn went outside, shading his eyes from the bright sun as he walked up the driveway to get the paper. He picked up but couldn't help but notice a girl on the edge of the driveway right next to their house. He hadn't seen her before. She had wavy blonde hair and green eyes. She gave him a friendly smile and he smiled back.

"I haven't seen you around," Flynn said.

"Yeah, we just moved in a couple of days ago. I'm Paige. Paige Gallagher," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Flynn Winchester," Flynn introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you, Flynn. I should get back in and finish up breakfast but it was nice meeting you. Do you go to Sioux Falls High school?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do actually," Flynn replied. She was pretty… really pretty. Flynn couldn't help noticing. She was wearing short boxer shorts. She had nice legs. Ugh, he sounded like his brother, John.

"Cool, well uh, maybe we'll run into each other," she said, smiling before going back inside her house.

Flynn was left standing there in wonder of the pretty girl that had practically ambushed him. It was like getting hit by a big yellow school bus. He sure hadn't seen that coming but he was left wondering who she was. He wanted to get to know her. That was for sure.

* * *

><p>John, Flynn, and Victoria all walked into school together from the Comet. Their mother and father had taken the Impala and had gone into school earlier than all of them.<p>

"Hey, Winchesters," Renee said, joining the three.

Renee was John's age but the least close to John. She and John had been best friends growing up. Her parents and John's parents were sure that they'd fall in love when they grew up, but ever since high school, the two had drifted apart due to the fact that all John cared about was being popular and getting laid. Renee hated that about him and wanted her old John back. She had quit their friendship because she knew that she was going to get him back. Now, they were civil to each other because their families were so close and they were forced to see each other so often out of school, but other than civil, they didn't go anywhere past that.

"Hey, Renee," Victoria smiled, seeing her friend.

John nodded and Flynn smiled at their friend.

"I've got an AP Chem lab in and I want to get there early but I figured I'd stop by and say 'hi'. I'll see you guys later," Renee said.

John watched as Renee walked away. Renee Walsh was their Aunt Molly and Uncle Ethan's daughter. Ever since freshmen year, Renee had stopped talking to him. He missed her and he couldn't help but notice how much she had grown up. John scratched the back of his head as he stopped at his locker. She looked like a super model. It wouldn't hurt if he tried to get close to her again, would it? Why did they even part anyways? John had no idea and was going to try his hardest to make amends with Renee – not just because she was hot. Okay maybe a little because of that…

Victoria and Flynn's lockers were right next to his. It was alphabetical.

"Hey, you ready for another long class of English? I hate our freshmen English class. The only good thing is that you and Haley are in it," Flynn said.

"What about me?" Haley asked, coming up to her locker, which was right next to Flynn's.

"Nothing. Just talking about English class," Victoria answered.

"Oh. You think we'll get your mom for Junior English?" Haley asked, taking out her English notebook and reading book from her locker.

"I don't know but I hear Mom's class is actually like… good," Victoria said. "This one is so boring."

"Yeah. I guess that's what happens when your mom brings you up on tons of literature. Thanks, Mom," Flynn said, playfully sarcastic.

"How are you two this morning?" Haley asked, curiously.

"Good. You?" Flynn asked back.

"Fine," Haley replied, waiting for Victoria's response.

"Alright. A little disturbed from the conversation in the kitchen earlier this morning," Victoria said, laughing a little. Her family was so crazy and while it could be terribly traumatizing, it was hilarious at the same time.

"Do I even want to know?" Haley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I've got to go. I told Mr. Rosen that I'd be there early to talk about redoing my vocab quiz," Flynn said, before heading to class.

"Ugh, Jude started it but somehow we started talking about the notorious Winchester skank phase and how Mom and Dad used to and still do screw like weasels, which is an extremely disturbing image I would like to get out of my head," Victoria said back.

"I agree. Totally disturbing image. Ah, John is still with that Jamie Callahan girl?" Haley asked.

"Yep. He was out all night last night," Victoria answered.

"I thought we didn't like her. She came to the fourth of July right?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, but that means he's almost done with her. It's been about… a month and a half maybe. God, my brother is such a pig sometimes," Victoria said, rolling her eyes as they walked to their first period class.  
>"Hey, man, what's up?" John asked, as soon as Cole met him at his locker. Flynn, Victoria, and Haley watched the two cousins as they did some kind of bro-handshake.<p>

"Not much. Hey, I heard about you and Jamie Callahan. Nice, dude," Cole, Jude's cousin said.

"Just wait till senior year, dude. You're going to love it," John smirked – the same smirk of his father's.

Cole and Haley Winchester were Sam and Sawyer's kids and were really close with their cousins. The Winchesters had practically taken over Sioux Falls high school with the exception of Renee who was a Walsh but it was fine because she grew up with them. They were family! John was captain of the football team, Cole played football and was one of the star players, Renee was beautiful and a high contender for valedictorian. Haley, Flynn, and Victoria were just starting high school and had big shoes to fill.

* * *

><p>Renee shut her locker only to see John Winchester leaning up against the lockers. She raised an eyebrow as soon as she saw the look he was giving her.<p>

"Renee Walsh. It's been too long," John cooed,

"John Winchester," she started, mimicking his tone. "No it hasn't."

"Oh come on. We used to be really good friends," John said.

"Yeah, key word _used to_," Renee pointed out. "Look, what do you want, John? I'm really not in the mood right now."

"I'm always in the mood," John smirked. Renee rolled her eyes, turning around to go to her next class. "Renee, wait! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Look, I'm uh, having some trouble in Pre-Calc class so since you're in AP Calc I thought maybe you could help me out. After your mom is best friends with my mom… just think of it as a family favor."

Renee sighed, "Since when have you cared about school?"

John shrugged, "Since… now I guess. Look I'm kinda failing and my mom is going to kill me if I don't get my grade up. Please."

"I'll have someone set you up with a tutor at the school tutor center," Renee offered, coldly.

"Come on, Renee. I don't want to be tutored by some dweeb that I don't know. I'll- how about I take you out for a burger, we'll catch up, you can see that I'm not such a bad guy, and then you can think about it," John proposed.

Renee raised an eyebrow, "What is this? The fifties?"

John shrugged, "I'm a guy who loves the classics."

Renee rolled her eyes at John's comment, "I'll think about it," she sighed before beginning to walk away.

"You won't regret it. I promise you," John called from down the hall. Renee just shook her head, a small smile on her face. She hated John sometimes, but she had to admit that his charm always got to her. Was this how Meredith felt about Dean? She knew that Dean was like this in his day, so how the hell did her Aunt Meredith fall so hard for him?

* * *

><p>"Miss Winchester, your lab partner dropped the class but luckily a new transfer student will be subbing in for him. This is Tyler Gallagher. He's new so make him feel welcomed," Victoria's AP Biology teacher, Mr. Hart said.<p>

"Hi," Victoria said, seeing her new lab partner. He was tall and really handsome. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him. She had really lucked out on this one. Her old lab partner was a know it all and was annoying as hell but this guy was… so cute! "I'm Victoria." She offered her hand for the boy to shake.

"I'm Tyler Gallagher. I'm new here," he said.

"I see that," Victoria chuckled as she showed him to their table. "What year are you?"

"Sophomore. Yeah, every class teachers like to point out the fact that I'm new. It's uh… it's a little-," Tyler started.

"Agitating?" Victoria offered up.

"That's putting it nicely. It's like, I know I'm new. I don't need a constant reminder of it. How about you? How long have you lived here?" Tyler asked.

"All my life… so I'm kind of the opposite of you," Victoria said.

Tyler laughed. He had a really cute smile.

"Well, how about you show me around some time? After all, we are lab partners so we'll probably end up spending a lot of time with each other anyway," Tyler asked.

"Yeah, sure," she said. She laughed. "Believe me. You're about ten times better than my last lab partner."

"Oh yeah?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah," Victoria replied, before digressing into her horror stories of her previous lab partner. She and Tyler just clicked.

"So what year are you?" Tyler asked.

"I'm a freshmen actually," Victoria admitted.

"Woah! And you're in an AP bio class?" Tyler asked in amazement.

"Yeah. I tested in. Uh… my brother's in a pre-med program so… maybe it runs in the family?" Victoria proposed. Tyler chuckled. The class soon was over and they had lunch period.

"Hey, I know you're new here and stuff so, do you want to come sit with me and some friends? You don't have to or anything but if you want to," Victoria asked, nervously.

"Sure," Tyler replied, his face lighting up. Victoria and Tyler talked and laughed all the way to the lunch room where Victoria scoped out her family's table. Haley was sitting alone with a book and Victoria watched as John, Cole, and Flynn crowded her. Renee joined them to relieve Haley of her pain.

"Hey, Tyler, where are we sitting?" a voice asked. Victoria turned around to see a petite blonde girl standing behind the two.

"Uh, I was going to sit with my friend Victoria. You can come too, if that's alright," Tyler said, asking Victoria.

"Of course. There's plenty of room. My family's pretty welcoming too," Victoria added.

"Family?" the blonde girl asked.

"Yeah, I have two brothers at the school, two cousins, and one pseudo cousin. It's a… a long story. Oh and warning, they can be a little overwhelming sometimes so I apologize for anything they say or do. Please don't take it to heart," Victoria chuckled.

"I'm Paige, by the way," the girl introduced herself.

"Victoria," Victoria replied.

"I see you've met my goof a brother," she said.

"Yeah, we're lab partners in bio," Victoria replied. They approached the table to see the Winchesters plus one Walsh all there.

"Hey, guys. This is Tyler and this is-," Victoria started.

"Paige!" Flynn smiled, seeing the blonde girl.

"You two know each other?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah. We just met this morning getting the paper. We're your new neighbors," Paige replied. She smiled at Flynn and took a seat right next to them.

"Okay, well, I guess that's taken care of. Tyler this is my family. Flynn and John are my brothers, Cole, Haley, and Renee are all cousins," Victoria replied.

"Wow," Tyler said, a little overwhelmed.

"You'll get used to them," Victoria chuckled. She knew her family could be overwhelming sometimes but she loved them just the same. It seemed like they were getting along with Tyler too. If he didn't like her family, well that was obviously a no-go. But he seemed like he did. This was going to be an interesting year.


	2. Not Dates and Bracelets

"I wish you didn't have to go," Ethan said, kissing his wife once.

"I know, me too, but I'll be back in a couple of days. Believe me. I'd love to escape the chaos of fashion week for at least one year but I just got back into the business. I've got to make an appearance with my new line," Molly replied.

"I know," Ethan sighed.

"How are you hours at the hospital?" Molly asked back.

"Fine. It should be okay with you gone but Renee and Iz are okay by themselves every once in a while, aren't you Renee?" Ethan asked his daughter.

"Yeah, Dad, we're fine," Renee shrugged.

"If you need anything, you know to call Meredith and Dean, right?" Molly asked.

"Of course, Mom. I'm seventeen, not seven," Renee reminded.

Molly chuckled, "I know. Sometimes I just like to pretend you're not. It's as if I turned around and when I turned back around, you were a grown woman."

"Alright, I've got to go. Good luck this weekend, babe. I'll see you when you get back," Ethan said, kissing Molly once before heading out of the house for the hospital. Renee finished her cereal and went to put her bowl in the sink.

"Hey, is everything alright, sweetie?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Why?" Renee asked back.

"Nothing, you're just quiet this morning. Anything on your mind?" Molly asked again.

"Uh… sort of," Renee said.

"Okay," Molly said, giving Renee a chance to continue.

"John Winchester asked me to tutor him and I told him I'd think about it," Renee confessed.

"Oh, you and John used to be great friends! Why wouldn't you tutor him?" Molly asked back.

"Well, Mom, he's kind of become a notorious womanizer and… he's just not the kind of person I've wanted to be around ever since freshmen year. All he's ever been concerned about was being popular, himself, and his family. You know how he is, Mom," Renee replied.

"Well what about second chances?" Molly asked.

"I don't know. It just came out of the blue – him asking me to tutor him. It's weird, you know?" Renee asked.

Molly nodded, "Yes, but you and John used to be friends and he used to really care about you, Renee. I don't think that's ever really changed and maybe he honestly wants to reconnect with you."

"So you think I should do it?" Renee asked.

"It's up to you, sweetie," Molly smiled. Ugh. Renee hated when her mom did that. She knew that that was her mother's version of guilting her into it. She'd persuade her that it was the right thing to do and then leave it up to Renee so that Renee felt like she had to do the right thing.

"It was just weird though, you know? He tried to convince me and said he'd take me out for a burger and-," Renee started.

"Oh, he asked you out for a burger? Renee, this boy means serious business," Molly teased.

"Mom!" Renee groaned.

"What? His father was just like that in his teen years so I can only assume that asking you to get a burger sounds like asking you out on date," Molly replied. Renee thought it over. There was a question that had been bothering her for a while and she knew now would be a good time to ask it.

"Mom, can I ask you a question?" Renee asked.

"Sure," Molly answered.

"Uncle Dean used to be just like John, didn't he? When he was about our age?" Renee asked.

Molly thought it over, "A little yeah. Well, yeah, a lot. Dean was like that always but when we could all see how much he loved and cared about your Aunt Meredith. He never would've done anything intentionally to hurt her and he was true to her."

"I guess, just talking to John today, I found it hard to believe that she would've ever gone for him if he had at all acted the way John does now," Renee sighed.

"Dean and Meredith grew up together. They were practically in love with each other since they were seven… there was always something there between them," Molly said.

"I see…" Renee said, processing it all. Renee and John had grown up together and had been best friends up until high school. Had then there always been something between them? He was asking her out on a date… he couldn't be. He was always with Jamie Callahan. There was no way… not that Renee wanted it to be. Or did she? She could see the parallels between she and John and her aunt and uncle's relationship. She never really could resist John's charm… Renee sighed and tried to push away all of the obnoxious questions running through her head. Renee didn't have answers now but she did know one thing: She was going to have to tutor John Winchester.

"Great… just I need right now," Renee said to herself.

"Hey, can you take me to school?" a little voice asked.

"I thought Dad was taking you to school," Renee replied.

"Nope, he just left," Iz, Renee's little sister asked.

"Yeah, sure," Renee sighed. Just one more chore for her to cross off her list. Great, tutoring John Winchester was going to be like another chore. She was going sure when she was going to tell him that she'd do it. She'd just let him squirm for a little while, if he really cared. Renee grabbed her car keys and she and Iz went outside to the car.

Iz straightened out her tank top. Isabelle, "Iz" for short wore a beaded tank top with a skinny black tie and a black, leather jacket with some dark skinny jeans and trendy boots. Her hair was light blonde and wavy, and was cut just to her shoulders. It was curled today. Iz was edgy and had her own sense of style. Renee glanced at her younger sister who was now in the eighth grade. She'd be going to high school next year.

"I can't believe Mom let you wear that out of the house," Renee said.

"Mom can't say a thing because she's a fashion designer. It would be hypocritical of her. Dad on the other hand by take issue but he left before we did," Iz shrugged.

Renee rolled her eyes as she got in the car. It bothered her that it sometimes felt like her sister tried to defy her parents. Iz got along with them pretty well but her fashion statements happened to be a little too bold sometimes. Renee, on the hand, preferred safe, casual clothing, like things from J Crew and Banana Republic: Chic and Classy yet simple.

"What do you want to listen to?" Renee asked.

"Do you have that The Format record in your car?" Iz asked back.

"I knew I liked you for a reason," Renee smiled, finding her CD and putting into her CD player. She loved the Format and was at least thankful that her sister had good taste in music. She pressed play and Renee and Iz drove off.

* * *

><p>That morning, over at Sam and Sawyer's, it was quite the opposite of Dean and Meredith's. The family sat down to breakfast and things were calm, simple, and affectionate without the silly jokes attached to everything.<p>

"How was everyone's first day of school?" Sawyer asked.

Jackson took a sip from his orange juice: "It was fine. Seventh grade is better than the sixth grade." Jackson was the youngest of the family. He bore an uncanny resemblance to his older brother, the both of them very much like their father. Jackson had a lot of his mother's features. He had the same dirty blonde hair, and the same icy, blue eyes. His older brother Cole had the same blue eyes, but he had his father's hair, jaw, and chin.

"It was cool," Cole shrugged.

"It was cool, was it?" Sam asked, shooting his son a look.

Cole sighed, knowing that he would get nowhere without a real answer, "Yeah, my classes are good. I hung out with John a lot of the time."

"Hm, well I'm not surprised. You and your cousin are really close," Sawyer mentioned.

"What about you, young lady?" Sam asked his daughter.

Haley tucked her dark hair behind her ear, "Great! There's a new family in town that just moved here. They're living right next door to Aunt Meredith and Uncle Dean, and Victoria and Flynn were showing them around so I got to meet them. They seem nice."

"Oh yeah?" Sawyer asked.

"Yeah, Gallaghers," Cole brought up.

"Gallagher… their parents don't happen to be Kitty and Bryan, do they?" Sam asked, curiously.

"I don't know. Why?" Haley asked back.

"Just curious," Sam said.

"What, are they hunters or something?" Cole asked, intrigued. He had always been intrigued with the hunting life. He just wasn't allowed to indulge as much as his cousins were and he never understood why. It was fascinating to him – his family's life before they had all settled down – and he wanted to know more. Unfortunately, his dad was never found of him whenever he got involved with his cousins' affairs with hunting.

"Might be. But you know, there have got to be tons of Gallaghers in the world," Sam said.

"Yeah. Who knows? Maybe it's just a coincidence," Sawyer shrugged it off.

"Hales, will you teach me guitar later?" Jackson asked, looking at his big sister with that same puppy dog look that they had all got from their father.

"Sure, but just so you know that that look does not work on me. We all have it… so we're basically immune," Haley said back.

"It's just cause you love me right?" Jackson asked.

Haley chuckled, "Yes, it's because I love you."

"You guys are dorks," Cole teased, shaking his head a little, laughing.

"Be nice," Sawyer warned, lightly.

"Yeah, yeah. I will, Mom," Cole chuckled.

"Hey, we should get going, but thanks for breakfast, Mom and Dad," Cole said, getting up out of his chair and excusing himself from the table.

"Yeah. I'll see you later. Oh and by the way, I've got guitar lessons this afternoon so… Cole, will you drive me?" Haley asked.

"Sure," Cole mumbled.

"Hey, wait up for me!" Jackson called, getting up from the table and following his siblings out.

* * *

><p>At school, Victoria sat in her AP Bio class next to Tyler. The class was wrapping so she tried to focus her hardest. Just five more minutes and then she'd be free.<p>

"That's an odd bracelet you've got there," Tyler pointed out.

"Oh, this? Yeah, it is. It was my grandmother's though," Victoria answered, looking over her bracelet.

"Oh, so it must mean a lot to you. Are you close with her?" Tyler asked, curiously.

"No, I never got to meet her. She passed away when my dad was four," Victoria replied.

"Oh wow. What happened, if you don't mind me asking? Sorry, I don't mean to pry or anything," Tyler said, hesitantly. He let out a nervous laugh and Victoria smiled at him.

"No, it's fine. It was a uh, a house fire," she replied.

"Sorry," Tyler said back.

"It's alright. I never met her. My dad was really close to her though so he took it hard," Victoria said. God, she shouldn't even be talking about this with him. It was a little too close to comfort. It was too close to hunt – hell, it was the reason her dad became a hunter, and they were sworn to secrecy about hunting. "So, did you get number 17 on the homework last night? I think I missed a step. Do you mind looking over my summary?" Victoria asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Are you alright? I hope I didn't-," Tyler started.

"I'm fine, really," Victoria said, in hopes that she sounded convincing. She was eager to get off the topic.

"Alright, if you say so," Tyler said. He glanced down at his homework, looking for number 17. He hoped that he hadn't offended her. He really liked Victoria – as a friend – but that was for now. She was pretty and he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't attracted to her. "Uh yeah, here. Go ahead a just look at this. I did the math to try to get the conversion here… but then I kinda screwed up at this step. I don't know if it'll help much, but I'll try as best as I can."

"Great, thanks," Victoria said, looking over at Tyler and shooting him a sweet smile. Damn, that smile. Either this girl knew what she was working with and knew how to use it, or she was going to have him in the palm of her hand soon enough.

Once class was over, Victoria and Tyler went to the cafeteria, making their way towards the table with Victoria's family. John, on the other hand, had gotten out of his class late and was still strolling down the halls. He went to his locker, putting away his text book.

"Hey, you," he heard a voice say. John looked up and smiled a crooked smile, seeing Jamie Callahan his… his… well, the girl that he was hooking up with. They weren't exclusive and John wasn't looking to be exclusive with her. John wasn't looking to be exclusive with anyone unless it was someone he fell for. Then again, John kept telling himself not to fall for anyone right now. It was too messy…

"Hey," John said, leaning up against his locker.

"So I was thinking last night… in my bed, all alone," she cooed.

"Sorry, babe. I had uh, some stuff to take care of," John shrugged.

"What kind of stuff?" she asked, curiously. Woah! Was she going to get all clingy girlfriend on her because he did not sign up for that.

"Just family stuff. My sister busted me for the previous night so I kind of had to stay home. Plus my brother's only home for like two more weeks so my mom's kinda freaking out – making us stay home and have family time or whatever," John replied, casually. What was wrong with him? He loved spending time with his family. Family was the most important thing to him…

"Wait, isn't Flynn a freshmen?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah. My older brother. He's in college," John replied.

"I see," Jamie said back.

"Yeah," John said in response.

"So, now that you've been a good little boy, why don't you come over after school. My parents won't be home till later so we have the house all to ourselves," Jamie proposed, batting her eyes at John.

"I've got practice after school," John replied.

"What about after practice? It only runs about an hour right?" Jamie asked.

"Uh yeah. After practice sounds cool," John said back.

"Great. It's a date," she smirked.

"Great," John smiled. He watched as Jamie walked away. _Damn, she was hot, _John thought to himself. Just then, he saw Renee walking in his direction, buried deep in a book. "Hey, Renee!" Renee stopped and looked at him.

"Hi," she smiled politely, before returning to her book, and continuing to walk down the hall.

"Wait!" John called out. Renee took a deep breath before turning around to face John. She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I uh, have you thought anymore about tutoring me… the burger… you know… our date so that I can convince you that I really have changed?" John asked.

"Don't call it a date, John," Renee said, rolling her eyes.

"Okay, fine. Our not-date. How does that sound?" John asked.

Renee hated that John could always break down the wall that she constantly attempted to put between them. She laughed a little, "A not-date sounds great."

"So you'll do it?" John asked.

"Oh, no. I never said I'd do it," Renee replied, quickly.

"Well-, but you just-," John said.

Renee shook her head, "I told you I'd think about it and I'm not done thinking about it just yet." John took her in. She had perfect blonde, straight hair and warm dark brown eyes. Renee wore a light blue button down, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She wore dark blue skinny jeans and black flats. Her face had dainty features. She really had grown up on him. Since when did she start looking like this…?

John sighed, "Okay, fine."

"Okay," Renee mumbled, almost to herself, walking away from John.

Renee kept walking, but couldn't help but think about what she and her mom had talked about. Maybe John wasn't actually having problems in math and this was just some insistent, stupid, dumb, boyish plot of his to seduce her and then break her heart. She hated thinking about him that way but he had changed so much and that was the image that he gave off now. She remembered when they used to play in the sandbox together and sit in her grandmother's café, playing with blocks or playing tag when they weren't supposed to be. Okay, so those were their toddler days, but even after that, they were like two peas in a pod. Then when they got to high school everything changed. She barely recognized John anymore.

Her mother's advice was right though and knowing John and his laziness in school, he probably actually was having trouble in school. It was the second week of school! How much trouble could the boy already be having? Oh who was she kidding! John didn't care about school. Of course he'd let the class pass by him while he sat and… well whatever he did in class. Renee stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at John.

"Alright, fine. I'll do it," Renee said, flatly.

"You will?" John asked.

"Yeah. If you're really having trouble in math, I'll do it. And our not-date really isn't necessary, John. At all," Renee replied.

"Oh come on. It'll give a chance to catch up as old friends and I'll be able to thank for all of your tutoring services that are to come. Besides, if you hate me a little less, this whole tutoring thing won't be as awkward," John said.

Renee sighed, "Okay, fine. Let's just get this… not-date thing out of the way or whatever and then we can actually focus on the tutoring, okay?"

"Sweet. How does Friday sound to you?" John asked.

"Good. I'm busy Saturday and well, we all know that we have me and Jude's nut-so family gathering joint birthday thing happening on Sunday," Renee answered.

"Yeah… Wait, you're busy Saturday?" John asked back.

"Yeah, why so surprised?" Renee asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No reason," John shrugged. There was something bothering him. What was she doing? Was she going out with someone? Was she seeing someone? He hadn't even thought about that before and questioned why he hadn't.

"Okay, well, Friday it is," Renee said, before turning around to walk towards the cafeteria.

"See you at our date-, I mean, not-date," John replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>Thanks to all for the feedback so far and for those who have favorited this story! It's much appreciated. Reviews as well. Also, please check out the banners. Jamie Callahan is played by Cassie Scerbo. I realized that she's not on the banners at all.

That John Winchester! Two timing those girls... will he even have a choice (i.e. will Renee actually fall for him?)?


	3. A Lot of Unanswered Questions

"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed, as he and his wife got out of the Impala. Dean walked down the driveway to the man standing on the edge of the driveway of the house right next to their house. "Bryan Gallagher, what the hell are you doing here?" Meredith turned her head and smiled as soon as she saw Bryan. She walked up the driveway, going over to see Dean and Bryan already engaged in a conversation.

"Dean Winchester?" Bryan asked back.

"Yeah. Good to see you, man," Dean replied.

"Yeah, you too. We just moved here from Los Angeles," Bryan said, a surprise look accompanied with a smile on his face.

"You just moved in right next to us Winchesters?" Dean asked.

"Guess so. Funny coincidence, huh?" Bryan answered.

"Bryan!" Meredith smiled, giving Bryan a hug.

"Hey, you," Bryan smiled back.

"Mer, Bryan just moved here. Hey, where's that lovely wife of yours?" Dean asked.

"Right here. Dean, Meredith, it's so good to see you guys again. Looks like we're not the only ones that gave up the life for something more… suburban, huh?" Kitty, Bryan's wife asked back. She had shoulder length, straight blonde hair while Bryan had dark, shorter hair.

"Yeah. So when's the last time you two went hunting? We haven't heard from you guys in forever?" Dean asked.

"Uh… several years ago. We quit after Kitty got pregnant with our first child. He's actually a sophomore at the high school, our daughter is a freshmen," Kitty replied.

"Oh, Dean and I are teachers there and our kids go to school there as well. I wonder if they've run into each other yet," Meredith said.

"You're teaching?" Bryan asked Dean, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah shut up! Yeah, I'm teaching auto shop," Dean answered.

"Ohh okay," Kitty said.

"Babe, I've got to bring in the groceries so I should go before everything melts," Meredith said to Dean.

"Oh, I'll come help. It was good seeing you guys though and uh, now that we're neighbors, looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of each other. What do you say the family comes over some time? We can have some beer, our kids can meet or something… you know, the whole apple pie, hunting-free kind of thing," Dean proposed.

"Sure. We'll let you know," Bryan replied.

"By the way, our kids don't really know anything… you know, about hunting. They don't even know what it is, that we even did it, so if you don't mind not mentioning anything about hunting to them… I know we're supposed to a hunting family and everything but we just couldn't do it to them," Kitty started.

"Yeah, we won't mention it," Meredith replied, before she and Dean parted from the Gallaghers.

Dean, Sam, and Meredith had gone on a hunt with the Gallaghers before. The Winchesters met them at the roadhouse when Dean and Meredith had just gotten back together, but had called them up for a couple of hunts. The Gallaghers called up the Winchesters whenever they were in town, but sooner or later, Meredith and Dean, settled down and apparently so did the Gallaghers. They just lost touch.

Dean and Meredith began to unpack and put away groceries as we got to the kitchen. Meredith was quiet and kept thinking about what the Gallaghers had said.

"Babe, do you think it's weird that the Gallaghers never told their children about hunting?" Meredith asked.

"I don't know, do you?" Dean asked back.

"Yeah. Is that so wrong? I mean, I feel like I should be fine with it. That's originally what we wanted to do with our kids… what does it feel so strange to me?" Meredith asked back.

Dean shrugged, "Because it feels like we'd be keeping them in the dark. At least that's what I think. I think we'd regret not telling our kids but just because the Gallaghers didn't, doesn't meant that it's weird."

Meredith sighed, "You're right. Come help me with this."

"Why are you so short?" Dean teased.

"Shut up," Meredith replied, nudging her husband playfully.

* * *

><p>"You dropped something," Cole said, picking up the text book that had fallen as the girl walked by. She had several books in her arms and the top one managed to escape. Cole had just gotten out of football practice and he was on his way to his car.<p>

"Thanks," the girl said, turning around and shooting Cole a cool smile.

"I haven't seen you around here," Cole said. The girl had wavy, redish blonde hair and was definitely hot. He hadn't seen her around before. He checked her out in her denim mini skirt, converse, white tank top and black leather jacket. She had the whole bad ass thing going on. She leaned up against her red 1969 Riviera Buick, holding her books to her chest.

"I'm not around much," the girl shrugged, a sly smirk on her face.

"I'm Cole. Cole Winchester," Cole said, introducing himself.

The girl smirked, "Don't worry, I know who you are Cole Winchester. You're the son with the daddy who used to drink demon blood. He and your uncle unlocked the gates of hell and uh, well, frankly were the ones responsible for letting Lucifer out."

"Excuse me?" Cole asked, not knowing what the hell this hot, mysterious girl was talking about.

"Ask your dad," she replied before walking to the door of her car, opening it, and then getting in. Cole stood back as she pulled out of her parking space, shooting a wink at him, before driving off.

"Hey, dude, who was that? She's hot," John asked, coming up behind his cousin and smacking his shoulder once.

"I have no idea," Cole replied, perplexed.

He didn't know whether to even be interested or to be angry as hell. What was this girl talking about and who did she think she was, telling him things like that about his father and his uncle? They were his family. Cole got defensive when it came to his family but at the same time, part of him wondered whether there was any truth to what she had just said.

"Whatever, man. I'll see you later," John said, leaving his cousin. John got into his mom's old car, before speeding off towards Jamie Callahan's house. While his brother was home, Jude was using the Camaro that Jude and their father had fixed up when Jude was in high school. It was Jude's car but John always used it when John was away at school or in Peru, or whatever the hell his brother did with his life.

John drove off towards Jamie Callahan's house. He was just looking forward to blowing off some steam with her. She was fun… He pulled up at her house to see that there was only one car in the driveway. He parked a couple of houses down, on the side of the road just to be safe, and then jogged over to her house. He knocked on the door, only for her to answer, almost immediately.

"Took you long enough," she smiled, pulling him in by his shirt and shutting the door quickly after. John groaned in response.

John and Jamie wasted no time. Jamie rushed John upstairs and the minute they got into her bedroom, clothes were flying everywhere. John knew they didn't have much time and that Jamie's parents would be home soon, but that made it more fun. This girl was fun… that's all he needed, right?

* * *

><p>Cole got up from the kitchen table, closing his math text book and going towards his room. Dinner tonight had been awkward. He couldn't get the girl he had met in the parking lot today out of his head – and not in a good way. It was bothering him so much! What had she meant by all of that? His dad was pretty secretive about the life that they had lived before. He and his siblings had been trained basic hunting skills, but they weren't really allowed to do it to the extent that his cousins were. His dad hated the idea of them hunting and since it was a necessity for them, his dad tried to keep them away from it as much as possible.<p>

Cole could remember that very day that he talked to his dad about it. He was seven and John was eight. John had told Cole about shooting a gun for the first time…  
><strong><br>~Flashback~**

"Dad, why does John get to learn to shoot a gun?" Cole asked, curiously.

His father thought it over, choosing his words carefully before saying, "Well, he's a year older than you, Cole."

"But, but dad you said that there were bad things out there. Shouldn't we learn how to protect ourselves like John and Jude do?" Cole asked back.

"Yes," Sam nodded slowly. "Cole, you'll understand when you're older, but your cousins are… they need to learn how to protect themselves for a couple of reasons, but our family, we don't have to deal with all of that. I do think it's important for you to learn how to protect yourself, but when it's not necessary, kiddo, I don't know how I feel about that."

"Well, what if I just learned the basics?" Cole asked, a look of hope in his eyes.

Sam thought it over, "Alright, sure, but just the basics. I guess… you can go over to the center when your cousins go next. Look, I'm sorry that it seems like I'm sheltering you and that your cousins have a little more freedom with all of this stuff, but they have some stuff to deal with that you don't have to."

"Like what kind of stuff?" Cole asked, curiously.

"I-," Sam started.

"Hey, dinner's ready, you two," Sawyer said, coming into the living room.

"We'll be a right there," Sam said, smiling softly at his wife.

He felt so helpless in this situation. He didn't want to put his family through what his dad had put him and Dean through, but it was almost as if Cole wanted to hunt. It didn't help that Meredith and Dean almost made it look like fun and games. But it wasn't fun and games and the three of them knew that. Sam felt so torn. What if he let Cole learn the basics but Cole wanted to keep training? What if Cole wanted to hunt? It wasn't just that he didn't want to do what John did them, but he also didn't want his kids hunting. It was a terrible and he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Besides, it's not like his kids would have to worry about it like Dean and Meredith's kids did. There was no prophecy and the house that they lived in had never been attacked by demons. Sam just wasn't quite sure how to explain that to his son yet…

**~End Flashback~**

"Dad?" Cole asked, peeking into his dad's study.

"Yeah?" Sam asked back, looking up from his papers. Sam had been working on another case down at the social work agency and figured that he'd have to drive out about an hour away tomorrow.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Cole asked.

"Sure, what is it?" Sam replied.

"Before I tell you, I'm just going to say that it was really weird. I mean, really weird and I just, I wanted to talk to you about it first before I jumped to any conclusions. There was this girl today-," Cole started.

"Girl problems? Son, that's not weird. I'm uh, honored that you're coming to your old man for girl advice though," Sam chuckled.

"No, it's not that, Dad," Cole sighed. "Look, I met this girl today and she started talking about you, like she knew who you were from your hunting days. She kept saying stuff about your hunting days and… I mean, I thought she was crazy! She was saying something about you and demon blood and you and Uncle Dean opening the gates to hell and something about Lucifer? I mean, she's crazy, right, Dad?"

Sam shifted uncomfortably, "Who was this girl?"

"I-, I don't know. I didn't even get her name," Cole replied.

"Well, she's not entirely wrong. What worries me is how she knows all about this," Sam said, almost to himself.

"Wait, Dad… what're you-," Cole started, searching for answers.

"Look, when we were younger, things were pretty rough. Your Uncle and I were always on the road and a lot happened. That's why I don't want you to get involved, Cole. The hunting… it's dark stuff," Sam said.

"But demon blood, Dad? And hell and-," Cole began again.

"Your uncle was dead and it seemed like the only way. I-, do you want me to be honest?" Sam asked.

"Please," Cole replied, flatly.

"I did a lot of stupid things when I was younger; made a lot of mistakes. If I could take it back, I would because the stuff I did, it wasn't going to help get your uncle back. I was angry and hurt and… I was desperate to get Dean back. The demon blood made me stronger and I could exorcise demons… with my mind. I know, it sounds crazy. As for hell and Lucifer, well, let's just say never trust a demon," Sam explained to his son, scared that his son would react badly.

"Why did you keep this from us?" Cole asked.

"Well, it's not exactly a story you tell your kids before they go to bed," Sam replied. "Do you have any questions? I know what I told you sounds really strange and… you probably think your dad's a freak now."

Cole chuckled a little, "I don't think you're a freak, Dad. It's just… I don't know. I feel like there's so much that I don't know about you."

"I know, but I want to protect you from all of that," Sam stated firmly.

"Did you ever think that I didn't need protecting, Dad?" Cole asked back. Sam sighed. "Sorry. It's just, this girl today, she really threw me off. She made it sound like you were… I don't know, one of those things that's out there."

"It's alright… and you said you didn't know who she was?" Sam asked, curiously.

"Yeah," Cole replied.

"Huh," Sam sounded.

"Look, I've uh, I've gotta go finish some stuff up for school tomorrow. Later, Dad. And uh… thanks, for being honest with me. I know you hate talking about that stuff…" Cole started.

"It's alright," Sam said back.

Cole nodded, before leaving the study. He had some reassurance from his dad, but that girl was still getting under his skin.

* * *

><p>John ran his fingers through his hair, careful enough to make it look like he didn't have sex hair. He knew his parents could spot it a mile away. John got out of his car and then hurried inside, the smell of something cooking hitting him right away.<p>

John walked into the kitchen and dropped his stuff on the ground right next to him. He sat at the island counter in the middle of the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom," he greeted, chipper.

"Hey, you're home. I was beginning to wonder where you went after practice," Meredith replied.

John shrugged, "No where really. I was just hanging out with Cole."

"That's good. So do you have any plans for this weekend?" Meredith asked, casually, as she continued to make dinner.

"Not really. I'll probably go out on Saturday with the guys. Get some extra practice in. We've got our big game next Friday," John replied.

"Yeah. You're dad is all excited about that too," Meredith chuckled. John sat there as his mom continued to cook. There was a bit of a silence before he mentioned the next thing.

"And uh… I'm probably going to grab a burger with Renee on Friday," John said.

Meredith stopped what she was doing and turned around, "Come again?"

John shrugged, "What, Mom? We're friends."

"You two haven't talked since maybe the beginning of middle school. Not that I'm complaining. You two were really great friends! You just caught me off guard there," Meredith replied.

"Well, I'm trying to get her tutor me in math and so I told her that we should catch up first. You know, just because we haven't talked in so long," John said. It was almost like he was testing his mom. He wanted to see what she said about the idea of him going out with Renee. Wait, what the hell was he doing? He had a girl. But he couldn't stop thinking about Renee either.

"Oh yeah?" Meredith.

"Yeah, I was thinking about that place we always go to as a family. You know, the old one with the jukebox," John said.

"Huh," Meredith sounded. Meredith could already tell that this was a more than friends thing, at least on John's part. John had gone out with many girls, but he never took them to that place. That was a place they always went with the family and had made so many memories there. John never would take a girl there, even if they were just friends, if she didn't mean anything to him. Meredith only worried a little bit because she knew that John was following in Dean's footsteps of being a serial dater. "Well, I hope you two have a lovely time."

"Thanks… uh… need any help?" John asked.

"Sure," Meredith smiled.

"Okay," John said, getting up out of his seat.

Meredith and John worked on dinner and when it was about ready, the peace and quiet was disturbed. Victoria and Flynn came into kitchen, reciting vocabulary words for their Spanish quiz while Jude came in to help set the table.

"It smells great in here," Dean said, coming into the room.

"Hi, you," Meredith smiled. "Did you actually end up taking a nap?"

"Yeah, slept for like an hour," Dean replied.

Meredith chuckled, "Alright. Well, dinner's ready."

"Hey, has anyone gotten the mail yet?" Flynn asked.

"Uh, no. Do you mind getting it?" Meredith asked her son.

"Yeah, I got it," Flynn said, going outside to the mailbox. He smiled as soon as he saw Paige Gallagher, sitting outside on the tree swing that dangled from the tree at the house next door. She was just sitting and listening to the sounds of the early evening.

"Hey."

"Hi," Paige smiled, looking up and over at Flynn.

"Funny seeing you here again," Flynn said.

"Well, we are neighbors," Paige pointed out.

Flynn chuckled, "You're right."

"So what're you doing out here?" Paige asked.

"Mail," Flynn replied, holding up the stack of mail in his hand.

"Right," Paige laughed, blushing.

"I also like the quiet. My family… well there's always something going on with them," Flynn said.

"Your family is really nice… you guys just kind of took me and my brother under your… many, many wings. It's not so easy being the new kid," Paige started.

"Oh, it's no problem. Why is it you moved here again?" Flynn asked, curiously.

"Dad got a good job," Paige replied.

"Where'd you live before? Sorry. Too many questions?" Flynn asked, a small laugh following.

"No, you're fine! Uh… we lived in LA," Paige replied.

"Huh. Well, it's nice here. Kinda sleep, especially compared to LA, but it's nice. My aunt actually used to live in LA. I'm not quite sure why she chose to come back here," Flynn said.

"I like it so far," Paige said back.

"Oh, well, I should probably get back inside. We're about to start dinner," Flynn started.

"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll see you around then," Paige smiled.

"You too," Flynn replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: Wow. First update since ending "Over the Hills and Far Away". I'm already really loving this story and I hope that you guys are too. I have big plans for this story and am so excited to write it!


	4. Friends: The Old and the New

A/N: Please listen to "Everything's Magic" by Angels and Airwaves for this chapter! Yet another fun, Winchester breakfast for you. John and Renee's not date will be in the next chapter. Thanks!

* * *

><p>"<em>And do you ever feel like you're alone?And do you ever wish you'd be unknown?/I can say that I have./I can say that I have…"_

Flynn walked into the kitchen, his mom and dad already making breakfast. He watched as the two of them worked in harmony together, just enjoying each others' company. Flynn grabbed is camera that was hanging around his neck and began to take pictures. Flynn was an introvert but it gave him time to make observations. He guessed that was why he liked photography.

He loved getting candid shots of his parents.

He smiled, as he got another good shot. He took a couple more. They were just so in love. He had seen pictures of them before, and he recognized that look in his father's eyes. His father looked at his mother with such love and admiration He took another picture with the two of them looking at each other, sharing a secretive smile, and then another one of them, his father's hand placed on the small of his mother's back as he moved by her to get plates from the cabinet. He was about to take another one when-

"Flynn, you scared me!" Meredith jumped, hearing the click of her son's camera go off.

"Sorry, Mom. You know how I get carried away with this thing," Flynn replied, motioning to his camera.

"Yeah, well don't sneak up on us like that," Dean added, light heartedly.

"It's fine. Why don't you come sit?" Meredith suggested.

"Sure. It'll probably be nice to enjoy some peace and quiet before the rest of them get in here," Flynn chuckled, sitting down at the kitchen table and fixing himself a bowl of cereal while his parents finished up the scrambled eggs and bacon.

Dean laughed, "Speaking of, isn't it about time to rally the troops?"

"Do we have to?" Flynn groaned.

"Flynn!" Meredith said.

"Sorry, Mom. It's just… nice," Flynn shrugged.

"Flynn, I know your brothers and sisters are… rambunctious, but they are you brothers and sisters," Meredith reminded.

"I know, I know," Flynn replied. He loved his siblings but sometimes they could be such a headache. And then when the all got together, the cousins and then the Walsh family, it was about ten times more hectic. He loved his family, he did, but sometimes Flynn just needed some time to himself, which was hard to find in a house of six.

He set his camera next to him on the kitchen table. He couldn't wait to develop the pictures he had taken, at his school. They had a dark room that was used as for an open studio during lunch and afterschool on most days. He loved taking candid shots of his family because he always seemed to capture the subtlethings that everyone overlooked. He loved the subtle looks of love from his parents that he'd find, and the quietness of his sister that was always so rare, John's vulnerability that was never obvious, and Jude's kind eyes.

Flynn grabbed the open cheerio box on the table and grabbed a handful of cheerios before beginning to eat them.

"Flynn, try not to use all the hot water next time," Victoria grumbled coming into the kitchen and sitting down, across from Flynn.

"Well, good morning to you too, grumpy. Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Flynn snickered.

"Well, if your shower had turned cold halfway through, you'd probably be pretty grumpy too," Victoria snapped.

"You suck!" Victoria groaned, throwing a cheerio that had fallen on the table at Flynn.

"Hey!" Flynn exclaimed, throwing another cheerio back at his sister.

"Stop it!" Victoria laughed, dodging the cheerio.

"You started it!" Flynn laughed.

"Ooh, right here," John said, coming into the kitchen. Victoria, knowing what he was saying, threw a cheerio at him and John caught it in his mouth. "I worked all summer long to be able to do that!"

"Wow, what a man!" Jude teased. He patted his brother on the shoulder once before walking past him and to the kitchen area where his parents were. "Do you guys need any help?"

"Well, good morning to you too, Jude," John replied, sarcastically.

"No, we're fine," Dean said.

"We're finished here," Meredith added.

"Sweet. Breakfast," John said to himself.

* * *

><p>"<em>And do you ever feel things here aren't right?And do you ever feel the time slip by?/And I can say that I have./And I can say that I have…"_

"Hey, you," a voice said. John shut his locker to find Jamie leaning against the locker and smiling a flirty smile at him.

"What's up?" John asked back, a small smile on his face.

"What do you think about coming over tonight?" Jamie asked, cocking her head to the side, flirtatiously.

"Tonight? Uh… I can't do tonight," John replied.

"Why not?" Jamie asked.

"I just got a thing…" John shrugged, trying to come up with an answer. He couldn't tell her that he was going out with Renee. Jamie would think something of it. Hell, John was thinking something of it, even if it was a "not-date". John didn't want to lose Jamie, or at least the fun that they had. "Family thing."

"Oh, okay. You're pretty close with your family," Jamie observed.

"Yeah, I am," John stated.

"Huh. Well, walk me to class?" she asked, hiding her disappointment.

"Why not?" John asked. He tucked his text book underneath his arm and the two of them headed to Jamie's first period class.

"Hey. Is your brother still seeing that bimbo?" Haley asked, meeting up with Victoria and Flynn as they stood in the hall, since class wouldn't start for five more minutes.

"Unfortunately," Victoria sighed.

"Who? Jamie Callahan?" Flynn asked.

"Unfortunately," both Victoria and Haley said simultaneously.

"I don't know, you guys. I mean, I don't see anything wrong with her," Flynn shrugged.

"Yeah, well, that's because, like John, you're thinking with your downstairs brain. Yeah, she's pretty, but John could do so much better! I mean, I tried talking to the girl over the summer, you know, because she was dating John… wow it was hard to hold a conversation with her," Victoria said.

"Oh my God, I remembered that. Well, that and she treated us like we were two years old. She's not the brightest crayon in the box," Haley agreed.

"To be honest, I don't think they do much talking," Flynn chuckled.

"Okay, thanks, Flynn. We all know they're fun buddies," Victoria said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, fine. If he can do better, who do you think John should be with?"Flynn asked.

Victoria shrugged, "I don't know. Someone who has a brain, that's for sure."

"Victoria, she's not that bad," Haley reminded.

"I guess…" Victoria trailed off.

"Hey, you guys. Are you ready for yet another crazy family gathering?" Renee asked, approaching the three. Victoria looked at her friend. Renee was so classy and she was just as pretty, if not, even prettier than Jamie Callahan.

"Of course," Flynn replied.

"I don't know. I'm not quite sure I'm ready for another game of football like last year," Haley piped up.

"Sorry, us Winchesters go hard," Flynn shrugged.

"Yeah, we do!" Victoria said back, fist bumping her brother. Both Renee and Haley just laughed at the twins' little exchange.

"Hey, I'm going to get to class but I'll see you guys Sunday," Renee said.

"You too," Haley said back.

"Renee," Victoria said, once Renee was gone.

"What do you mean?" Flynn asked back.

"Renee is the kind of girl John should be going for," Victoria answered.

"Uh oh. I know that look in your eyes. No playing matchmaker this time, okay?"Haley requested.

"I wasn't!" Victoria defended, although the thought had crossed her mind. She tried so hard to fight the impulse of coming up with a plan.

"Besides, Vi, they haven't been close since middle school," Flynn added.

"Yeah, but they used to be attached at the hip, which means it could happen again," Victoria replied.

"Promise me you won't do anything? I mean, how can we be sure that they'd even want it? For all we know, they were just best friends. Like your mom and Ethan. There was never anything there and they were practically attached at the hip too," Haley persuaded.

"Yeah, alright. I promise," Victoria replied. She knew that Haley was wrong about John and Renee just seeing each other as best friends. She always knew that there was something there between those two but she had promised Haley she wouldn't do anything. "Alright, I'm going to get to bio. I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, you too," Haley said back.

"No meddling, Vi," Flynn reminded.

"I know," Victoria nodded. It was going to take all of her strength to resist meddling.

"_So hear this please/And watch as your heart speeds up endlessly/And look for the stars as the sun goes down/Each breath that you take has a thunderous sound/Everything, everything's magic…"_

Victoria parted ways with her brother and cousin before heading to biology class. She took her seat next to Tyler, only a couple of minutes till class started.

"Hey," Tyler smiled, as she sat down next to him.

"Hey, what's up?" Victoria asked back.

"Not much. What about you?" Tyler asked back.

"Not much. I'm just glad it's Friday and I can go home and sleep," Victoria said.

Tyler laughed, "Yeah, I get that. I miss sleeping in on the weekends but ever since the move, we've been busy unpacking and getting settled."

"I honestly couldn't imagine that. It just seems so… unsettling, which is weird because my dad used to be in a new town practically every month. It was because his dad, my grandfather was always traveling for work. Salesman, you know?"Victoria replied.

"Now, I couldn't imagine that!" Tyler exclaimed.

"It sounds pretty awful. They stayed for several months here during his junior year, but then it was back on the road," Victoria continued.

"Your dad sounds like an interesting guy," Tyler started.

"Oh, hah. I guess, in a way, he is," Victoria giggled.

"No, really," Tyler said.

"I don't know. He fixes up cars and teaches auto shop here…" Victoria said,giving Tyler a weird look.

"Oh yeah? I'm taking that class next semester," Tyler said back.

"Huh, well, people seem to like it. If you like cars and classic rock music, than you'll probably love the class," Victoria said.

"Two things I like very much," Tyler nodded, with a small laugh.

"I think my dad would like you," Victoria observed.

"I guess it'd be kinda cool to meet him. He seems pretty cool. Your who family does, actually. I mean, you guys just kind of took me and my sister under your wings. It kinda sucks being the new kid but you guys made it a little easier," Tyler replied.

"Oh, it's no problem. My family loves meeting new people," Victoria chuckled.

"Your family is great," Tyler said. Victoria couldn't stop smiling. He liked her family… that was definitely a plus. Anyone who could handle and actually like her giant, crazy, insane family was definitely going to have a keep her interest. She hadn't know Tyler for more than five days, but she knew that she was already developing a little crush on him.

"You-," Victoria started.

"Alright, class. Let's start at the beginning of chapter eight, where we left off yesterday. Williams, will you start us off?" the teacher asked, cutting Victoria off, just when she was about to say something. The student that the teacher had called on began reading the passage but Victoria tore out a piece of notebook paper. She scribbled on it before handing it to Tyler.

Victoria: You really like my family?

Tyler: Yeah, why?

Victoria: I mean, they're a little crazy.

Tyler: Crazy is good.

Victoria: So we're having this thing on Sunday. My brother and our family friend Renee's birthdays are really close, so after a while, we decided to have a joint birthday party for the two of them, just with the family. You could come, if you wanted… only if you wanted to though!

Tyler: Yeah, that sounds great.

Victoria: Really?

Tyler: Really. Why so surprised?

Victoria: No reason.

Victoria folded up the note, shoving it into her pocket before the teacher could notice that they were passing notes. She had this warm, fuzzy feeling beginning to surface. She looked down and smiled to herself.

* * *

><p>"<em>Just sit back and hold on, but hold on tightPrepare for the best and the fastest ride/And reach out your hand, and I'll make you mine/Everything, everything's magic…"_

Jude waiting for someone to open the door. He figured he wouldn't have to call before he came over, just because that's how they always used to do things: impromptu.

"Hold on, Mom. I've got it," Jude heard someone inside say. He recognized that voice and chuckled to himself. He had missed his friend a whole lot. The door opened and Jude smiled as soon as he saw his old friend.

"Dude! What the hell are you doing here, man? How are you?" the man asked, pulling Jude in for a manly hug.

"It's good to see you too, Andre," Jude chuckled, hugging his old friend back.

"I mean, not that I'm complaining or anything. Your mom just said that you'd be in Peru for a while. I didn't know you'd be back at all this summer," Andre said.

"Yeah, sorry, man. I've been doing a lot during the summer," Jude said.

"No shit! It was this summer, then the last," Andre started.

"Yeah, I know, I know. And then the other one before that. Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm never home anymore. What's up, man? How are you doing?" Jude asked, curiously.

"I'm good. Going back to school after Labor Day. How about you? Is it back to school for you too?" Andre asked.

Jude sighed, "Yeah. It's nice to have this week off, though."

"Oh, a week. I've been home the whole summer. Look at you, working and all that," Andre teased.

"Hey, I don't need to remind you about that research internship you had over at Yale last summer, do I?"

"Yeah, yeah, so we've both been working a lot. Who would've thought?" Andre laughed.

Jude laughed too, "Yeah, well us two class clowns… I think deep down inside we liked school."

"That was because of your mom! We could screw around in any other class but the minute we hit junior year, whooo, your mom kicked our asses. I remember after the first two weeks, going home and saying, "Mom, Mrs. Winchester doesn't mess around. I might actually have to do some of the reading now." And, knowing my mom, she was happy 'bout that," Andre reminisced.

"Oh, I remember that year! Damn, that was a hard year," Jude sighed.

"Well, looks like it paid off. You're going to be some big hotshot doctor," Andre pointed out.

"Me? Uh, you're going to be some big professor at Yale or something. Just remember us little people when you're off making research breakthroughs and teaching the children of the future," Jude teased, going a little overboard on the 'children of the future' part.

"Shut up, man!" Andre said, nudging his friend playfully.

"Hey!" Jude said, shoving him back.

"Andre, who's at the door? Come back inside. You're going to let all of the hot air out!" Andre's mother called, from inside the house.

"Hey, you wanna come inside or something? I'm sure my mom would love to see you," Andre asked.

"Yeah, sure," Jude shrugged.

"Just a warning: She's probably going to ask you tons of question so get ready for like… a full interview," Andre said.

Jude chuckled, "I think I'm up to it."

"Alright, big hotshot doctor," Andre joked.

"Same to you, professor," Jude said back. The two boys exchanged laughter before Jude followed Andre into the cool, air conditioned house of his childhood friend.

"_And do you ever lay awake at night?/And do you ever tell yourself don't try?/Don't try to let yourself down/Don't try to let yourself down…"_

Zzzzz!

Renee's eyes widened as her backpack vibrated once. She looked around, thankful that no one had noticed and pulled out her phone. Her last class of the day was a European studies class and she sat in the back of the class, so she knew that the teacher wouldn't catch her if she answered her cell phone. Renee reached down, pulling out her phone and placing it stealthily in her lap. She checked it. It was a text from John.

**John: Can't wait for our date today.**

**Renee looked around before texting back: I thought we agreed that it wasn't a date.**

**John: Fine, our not date. Still, I can't wait.**

**Renee: What are you doing, texting in class?**

**John: The real question is, what're you doing, texting in class? ;)**

**Renee: I'm in Euro. We don't do anything in here.**

**John: Ah. I'm in math.**

**Renee: Well, maybe if you put the phone down, you wouldn't need tutoring.**

**John: Maybe I want tutoring ;).**

**Renee: Goodbye, John.**

Renee rolled her eyes, but she couldn't fight the little smile on her face that was forming. She shoved her phone into her pocket of her shorts and smoothed out her white, chiffon blouse. John Winchester was sometimes just too much. Anyone who used two winky faces in a conversation was too much. She couldn't help but think about his "I can't wait". _Stop it, Renee. He's a born womanizer. He knows what to say_, she thought to herself, but it still didn't stop her from being excited either.

"_And do you ever see yourself in love?/And do you ever take a chance, my love?/Because you know that I will./Because you know that I will…"_


	5. I've Just Seen a Face

The minute the bell rang to signal that school was out, John practically bolted for the door. He went to his locker, quickly shoving his books into the locker, before shutting it. He heard a laugh as his cousin, Cole, came over to him.

"Why are you so in a hurry?" Cole asked.

"No reason. I've just got a thing," John shrugged as the two walked together out to the front door.

"A Jamie Callahan kinda thing?" Cole asked, amused.

"No," John answered, quickly, hoping that Cole wouldn't ask further, but he knew he would.

"You've already moved on from Jamie? Wow, you move quickly. I don't know, dude, you may want to tell her that though. Not quite sure she knows," Cole replied, laughing a little.

"It's not like that. Look, I'm going to grab a burger with Renee later. That's all," John said.

"So you've got a date?" Cole asked, frankly.

"No… it's a 'not-date'," John replied, blushing a little.

"What the hell is a 'not-date'?" Cole asked, giving his cousin a funny look.

"I don't know!" John exclaimed. "I don't know… I asked her out and she told me she didn't want it to be a date so… we're calling it a 'not-date'. We're just catching up, you know? We haven't really talked in a while and I asked her tutor me in math since I suck at that class."

"Yeah, you two used to be attached at the hip!" Cole chuckled. Cole then recognized the look on his friend's face. "Do you want it to be a date?"

"No! No, I don't. Why would you-, I mean-, why would you even ask that?" John stammered, answering almost too quickly. Cole knew John was getting defensive and when he got defensive, it meant that he really did like her.

"Why? Uh, because she's hot! You and I both know that Renee's been a babe since like… middle school," Cole replied. John thought back to those years? Why hadn't he noticed it before? It was like this year, he had some kind of awakening, but now that he thought about it, Renee had always been hot. He even remembered some of the locker room talk during the middle school football practice about what people thought about it. How had he never noticed this?

"I don't know, we're not really even friends," John shrugged.

"Alright, your call. All I'm saying is that if I were going on a 'not-date' with her, I'd take every chance I got," Cole said, using air quotes for the word, not-date. "Hey, I've got to go find Haley, but I'll see you later. You coming to the thing on Saturday? The team's getting together."

"Yeah, I'll be there," John replied.

"Cool. See you later," Cole said, parting from John. Cole thought the conversation he had just had with his cousin over. Cole knew John was kidding himself. There was no way that John could be 'just friends' with someone who looked like Renee. The whole family had known that it was going to be John and Renee from the beginning, but after middle school, they weren't really friends anymore. Cole thought it was interesting that he was just now noticing her absence in his life.

"It's about damn time," he thought to himself. He chuckled and then kept walking. He found his younger sister Haley with the rest of his cousins – the twins. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, sure," Haley replied, parting from the twins.

"So how's your day?" Cole asked, throwing his arm around his sister, in a protective, brotherly manner.

"Good, how about yours?" Haley asked.

"Fine. You know… the usual," Cole chuckled. The two walked to the parking lot until Cole stopped, as someone caught his eye.

"What is it?" Haley asked, concerned.

"I uh, I'll meet you at the car. I've got to take care of something," Cole said, determined.

"Okay…" Haley trailed off. She knew something was up, but wasn't in the mood to bother Cole right now. Haley headed off towards the car while Cole moved quickly towards the girl, leaning up against her car and talking to some guy.

"Hey," Cole said, approaching her. She looked up out of those blue eyes of hers.

"Give us a minute?" she asked the guy she was talking to.

"Who the hell are you?" the guy asked, defensively.

"Please, Trevor," she begged. The guy scowled before muttering something to himself and walking away.

"I've been looking around for you all week," Cole said.

"That's not creepy at all," the girl replied, sarcastically.

"Well, I'd say you're the creepy one seeing as you know a hell of a lot more about my family than I do," Cole shot back.

She chuckled, coolly, "What? You ask your daddy about it? Is that why you came over here?"

Cole rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I asked him and he told me the truth. You make out to be some bad kind of bad guy."

She shrugged, "Let's just say there are some people out there that aren't the fondest of your family. Sure, they cleaned up the mess they made but they still made it in the first place. We don't like things messy…"

"We?" Cole asked.

"My family and I. We're hunters, Cole, just like you," she replied.

"Well, I'm not really-," Cole started.

"Look, you have nothing to be afraid of. We're not going to try to hurt your family… I just thought you'd enjoy a little history lesson. That's all," the girl replied.

"Well, that's not fair. You know my name but I don't know yours," Cole said back, challengingly.

The girl thought it over for a moment before replying, "Greer. Greer Lawson."

"Cole Winchester," Cole said out of habit but then laughed, feeling stupid. Greer laughed a little too because she could tell that Cole was embarrassed. She smiled a little. He was cute and he was even cuter when he was embarrassed.

"Well, nice to meet you, Cole Winchester," Greer smiled, coolly.

"Look, I've got to go but uh… I guess I'll see you around," Cole said, glancing back at his car. Haley was already sitting in it, waiting for him to finish up.

"I'll see you," Greer said. She watched as Cole walked away. Oh God. What had she gotten herself into? Flirting with a Winchester? He brother was going to kill her…

* * *

><p>John read over the menu. Renee was a couple of minutes late which almost worried him. Was she standing him up? No, she wouldn't. Then again, he supposed that she kinda hated him just a little bit by the way she acted when she was around him.<p>

Renee approached the burger joint, seeing John through the glass door. She checked her phone, knowing that she was late. Renee had sat in the car, debating whether or not this was even a good idea. What if she did end up remembering how much she liked him? Renee had been okay with not being friends with John the majority of middle and high school because she knew sooner or later, at least before they drifted apart, that she was going to fall for him and that she'd fall hard. They had always been friends but there was always something there. Renee was terribly afraid that it would still be there but John was… John Winchester. They just wouldn't be a good idea, right?

Renee took a deep breath before mustering up the courage to go into the restaurant. She walked in, smiling as she approached the empty table that John was sitting at.

"Hey, sorry, I'm late. I got held up at that stop light on Blount," Renee said, quickly coming up with an excuse.

"Oh, that stop light sucks. Always gets stuck," John said.

"Yeah," she nodded. There was an awkward silence and John and Renee just chuckled a little. It was that super awkward, first date kind of awkward which Renee found annoying, seeing as it was a 'not-date'. "Okay, so I've never really been on one of these 'not-dates' and I really have no idea what we're supposed to do."

"I have either. Guess there's a first time for everything," John said back.

"Yeah," Renee chuckled. Oh God. What if this was what it was going to be like? Just awkward and silent and-.

"What can I do for you today?" the waitress asked, coming over before yet another awkward silence could commence. The waitress looked like she was in her late 50's or so.

"I'll just get the number one with fries and uh… a coke," John replied. Renee glanced down at the menu at the number one as well.

"I'll get what he's having," Renee said.

"Great," the waitress said, scribbling the orders down on her notepad, before leaving.

"So how have you been? What've you been up to since… like, the past six years," Renee asked, trying not to sound too forced as she asked.

"Good… good… um, I don't know. Just football and stuff," John shrugged. "What about you? You going to Harvard next year or something?"

Renee laughed, "No, I'm not really looking at Harvard."

"You got a top choice?" John asked.

"I'm really interested in Haverford right now, but I don't want to jinx anything!" Renee replied. John laughed.

"Where's that?" John asked.

"Pennsylvania. I'd be kinda near your brother too. Your brother's still at Drexel, right?" Renee asked back.

"Yeah, but I don't know where he's going next year. I should probably ask him that… hah," John replied.

Renee giggled, "Yeah, you probably should, seeing as he's your brother." _Wait, did I just giggle_, Renee thought to herself, but quickly shook off the thought. She shifted in the booth seat, across from John, to get a little more comfortable.

"What do I look like? My brother's keeper? That's my parents' job," John replied, crossing his arms.

"That was a great movie – _My Sister's Keeper_," Renee said, randomly, as John's comment reminded her of the movie.

"Chick flick," John coughed.

Renee just laughed and rolled her eyes playfully in response. She smiled to herself. This was starting to feel like it was getting back to normal – back to the days when all they cared about was who made the biggest sand castle or who could spit watermelon seeds the farthest as opposed to grades, colleges, and significant others. She remembered how much she enjoyed being with John. She was just afraid that it wouldn't last. I mean, what was he really expecting out of this? Did he really just want to be tutored because it didn't feel like it?

"Shut up," Renee said.

"Here's your food. You two enjoy," the waitress said, shooting both John and Renee a friendly smile while placing their food down on the plates.

"This looks great, thanks," John said.

"Yeah, thanks," Renee agreed.

"So what about you? You know, about college," Renee asked.

John shrugged, "I don't know. I don't have any top choices. I guess I'm just looking around for a while. I'm not stressing or anything."

"Hm," Renee sounded. She could tell that John didn't really want to talk about it.

"You know, I really can't believe you ordered a burger. I thought you'd get a salad or something. Girls these days… pretty lame, huh?" John asked, changing the subject.

Renee laughed, "After being raised like a Winchester, you really think I'd order a salad?"

"Fair enough. Haha, you're right. You were practically raised like one of us minus the hunting stuff and plus all the clothes. I don't think you ever wore the same thing twice when we were kids. Sometimes I used to think that your mom just made you clothes for a living," John said.

"Oh my God, every time I came downstairs, there was a new skirt or dress or something that my mom wanted to try on me. No wonder she started a children's line," Renee said back.

"Hah, I remember Jude used to think that your mom colored for a living. Honest to God, I thought she did for a while too," John remarked with a chuckle.

"I remember that! No, but he besides that, after spending so much time with you guys, I was definitely raised very Winchester-y," Renee said.

"Yeah, you were," John said. He then paused. "No wait, I take that back. You had your no pickle phase and let's be real, pickles are great on burgers."

"No they're not! They're disgusting!" Renee exclaimed, playfully argumentative.

"They are not!" John declared. Both John and Renee's eyes met before they laughed a little. Renee looked away blushing. Oh God… this was not happening. Whatever chemistry they used to have was definitely still there.

John was feeling this strange emotion that made him uncomfortable. It wasn't anything like what he felt with girls he just hooked up with. It was starting to really freak him out. He shifted uncomfortably, searching for a couple of quarters in his pocket.

"I'm going to go pick a song. Any suggestions?" John asked.

"Nah, go ahead," Renee encouraged as John got up and left the booth to go over to the jukebox. He returned to the booth and "Stairway to Heaven" began playing.

"Nice," Renee complimented.

"What, you finally liking some good music these days?" John teased.

"What?" Renee exclaimed.

"Please, you and your old punk music has nothing on good old Led Zeppelin," John replied, cockily.

"Shut up. The Format is great. Besides, I'm pretty positive if you gave it a chance, you'd like my music: Stiff Little Fingers, The Ramones, The Clash. You, my friend, are the one missing out," Renee shot back, crossing her arms over her chest, challengingly.

"I'm not so sure about that," John challenged.

"How about this? I'll burn you a mix and you can decide from there," Renee offered.

"Fine, but if I win, you have to do this with me again," John said.

"What? Go on another 'not-date' with you?" Renee asked, raising an eyebrow.

" Yeah, but only the next time, you have to go on a date with me," John said.

"How do I know you're wont' lie and just say you didn't like it?" Renee asked.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself," John teased. Renee laughed.

"Alright, fine. Then if I win, and you do like the music, then you have to do something for me," Renee started.

"What?" John asked.

"I'll think of something," Renee replied, slyly.

John smirked. His old friend was quite a pistol. They talked for a little longer and when "Stairway to Heaven" finally ended, another song came on.

"I love the Beatles," Renee smiled.

"Yeah, me too," John said. "I can't disagree with you on that one. They're classic."

Renee nodded. This time, both of them let the silence prevail. John listened to the words of the song and the lyrics just kept hitting home. _ Uh oh…_ he thought.

"_I've just seen a face/I can't forget the time or place/Where we just meet/She's just the girl for me/And want all the world to see/We've met, mmm-mmm-mmm-da-da-da…/"_

_"Falling, yes I am falling/And she keeps calling/Me back again/Falling, yes I am falling/And she keeps calling/Me back again/Oh, falling, yes I am falling/And she keeps calling/Me back again…/"_

Renee couldn't help but see the appropriateness of the song that had just come on. _John Winchester is always going to have me in the palm of his hand, isn't he?_She thought to herself. Damn it. She knew he was a player and she knew all about his reputation. She even knew that he was kind of dating Jamie Callahan, but she couldn't help but feel that connection to John like she always had. Damn it.

"So…" she said breaking the silence.

"Uh what?" John asked, Renee's voice breaking him from his thoughts.

"Nothing," Renee blushed.

"Mumbling again, Walsh?" John teased.

"Shut up, Winchester," she said.

"Is there anything else I can get for you two?" the waitress asked, coming by their table.

"Nope, I'm fine," Renee said.

"Yeah, I think we're ready for the check," John added.

"Great. I'll bring it by. Are you two paying together?" the waitress asked.

"Yes," John said.

"No," Renee replied, saying it simultaneously with John's 'yes'. The waitress shot them a funny look. Renee didn't want John to pay. If he paid it would be a date and they already agreed that it wasn't one. Ughh, then why did it feel like it was one? "We're paying separately, thanks."

"No, Renee, I've-," John started, but Renee kicked him under the table. "Ow!"

"We'll take two checks, thanks," Renee said.

"Alrighty then," the waitress said, before walking away, a little weirded out.

"Ow! You kicked me!" John exclaimed.

"Well, I'm a girl who knows how to get what she wants," Renee shrugged.

John smirked, "And what do you want, Renee?"

Renee stared long and hard at John's handsome face. He had the same smirk as his brothers and as their father. It must've run in the family but she still found it irresistible. She wondered if this is what it was like for Aunt Meredith.

Before Renee could say anything else, the waitress came back, "Here you go. Separate checks. Now, if I were you, young lady, I'd let him pay. He's handsome and a gentlemen. They don't make 'em like that anymore. Trust me."

"Yeah, see?" John asked.

"Shut up, Winchester," Renee said, chuckling and rolling her eyes. Renee bit her lip. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

* * *

><p>John got home a smile on his face. Usually when he went out with girls he always felt satisfied or like he was awesome, but right now he just felt good. He felt… happy.<p>

"Hey, how was your date with Renee? Oh, excuse me, not-date," Meredith asked as she saw John come into the house.

"Good," John replied.

"Yeah?" Meredith asked back.

"Yeah," John replied.

"Well, is she going to tutor you?" Meredith asked.

"Oh, I don't know. I forgot to ask. We just got kinda carried away, talking and stuff," John replied.

"Just talking?" Meredith asked.

"Ew, Mom, I'm not talking about this with you," John replied, sighing.

Meredith chuckled, "Alright. Just want to make sure that your uncle, Ethan, doesn't kill you."

John rolled his eyes, "Yes, just talking."

"Alright. Hey, we're going over to the center tomorrow morning. You're welcome to come if you want," Meredith offered.

"Sure," John replied. "Hey, Mom, I'm going to run upstairs and take a nap."

"Okay," Meredith replied, before returning to her book.

"Hey, what was that all about?" Dean asked, walking into the room as soon as John was gone.

"Honestly, I don't know. What I do know is I think our son may have a crush on Renee," Meredith replied.

"Hasn't he always?" Dean asked.

"I think so," Meredith answered with a small smile on her face.


	6. Little White Lies on Saturday Morning

**Author's Note:**This one is a little bit of a shorter chapter, but the next one will not disappoint. It will be the birthday party one and I'm so excited to write that one. Thank you so much to everyone who is constantly reviewing! You guys are the best. I love reading each review and whenever I read them, I almost immediately want to drop everything to try to get the next chapter out.

* * *

><p>It was another regular breakfast at the Winchester house hold on Saturday morning.<p>

"Hey, can you pass the 'life' section?" Victoria asked, taking a bite of her English muffin.

"Yeah. Ooh, the comics! Right over here," John said, separating the newspapers before taking out the comics from the life section and handing the rest of it to his younger sister.

Meredith chuckled, "I think we've officially dismantled this newspaper."

"Yeah," Dean said in agreement, looking around the table at his family, each with a different section of the newspaper. Dean thought back to his hunting days with Sam. They were always reading the newspaper, looking for a new case, but here, they were simply reading the newspaper, just to read it. Dean was amazed at the fact that he had a completely different life than what he thought he'd always have. He had a beautiful wife, four kids… still, it was all so unbelievable to him.

"Hey, I'm going to go. I'll be back in like thirty minutes or so," Flynn said to his mom.

"Where are you going?" she asked, curiously.

"Just out. Thought I'd go talk to the new neighbors," Flynn replied.

"Oh yeah? You and Victoria both seem to be hitting it off with them," Meredith observed.

Flynn shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Alright, well just remember to be back by 11:30. We're all going over to the center together… unless you don't want to go today," Meredith started.

"I'll be back by then, Mom. No worries," Flynn chuckled.

Flynn got up from the table, running his fingers through his hair once, and headed out of the house, shutting the door softly behind him. He jogged up the driveway and along the side of the road to the house next door. With the old neighbors, he could always cut across their lawn, but he didn't really know the Gallaghers well, especially the parents, and didn't want to upset anyone. Flynn hurried up the few steps leading to the Gallagher's residence.

Flynn knocked on the door and waiting for someone to open it. It was about 10 am and he hoped that no one was still asleep. Flynn was an early riser. He definitely got that from his mom. His family was split. Victoria and John were both late sleepers while Flynn and Jude were early risers. It was funny how that worked out. He fidgeted, before the door flew open, Paige standing there in a tank top and some pajama shorts?

"Flynn?" she asked, as soon as she saw Flynn standing on her front porch. A small smile crept on her face as she greeted him.

"Hey," Flynn smiled back.

"What're you doing here?" Paige asked, curiously.

"I figured it was about time we stopped meeting like we always do and that one of us take initiative. I was uh, just wondering if you'd want to go for a walk or something. It's really nice outside and figured you and I could talk or something," Flynn started.

"Yeah, I'd love it. Let me get changed first," Paige replied, grinning.

"Okay," Flynn replied, smiling back at her.

"Do you want to come in?" Paige asked, opening the door a little wider.

"Uh… sure," Flynn replied.

"Sorry, we just finished up breakfast. My parents went out to get groceries but my brother's home. Tyler!" Paige called, as Flynn followed her into the house. The house was different from what the old neighbors had done with it, but it was nice; homey. "You can just sit in here or something. I won't be too long."

"Okay, great," Flynn said, looking around the front room of the house. Paige disappeared as Flynn heard footsteps going up the steps.

"Hey," Flynn heard a voice say.

Flynn turned around to see Tyler Gallagher standing in the room.

"Hey," Flynn replied.

"What's up?" Tyler asked.

"Not much," Flynn replied. "You?"

"Not much. Is it just you or-," Tyler began to ask.

"Just me. My sister is back at home. We had somewhat of a late breakfast. Hah, she and John are late sleepers. I swear, if everyone in the house wasn't so loud, they'd end up sleeping till 2 or 3 in the afternoon," Flynn chuckled.

"We're all kind of early risers here," Tyler answered.

"Gotcha," Flynn nodded.

"Must be nice sometimes. Something seems to always be going on at you guys' house. Here it's just… quiet most of the time," Tyler started.

"Nah, I'd take quiet any day," Flynn replied.

"So that thing on Sunday," Tyler started.

"You know about that?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah, your sister invited me," Tyler replied. _Hey, that's not such a bad idea… _

"Oh, gotcha. Yeah, it should start around five, but knowing my family, dinner won't start till like, seven," Flynn replied.

"Hey, you ready?" Paige asked, interrupting Flynn and Tyler's conversation. Paige wore some denim shorts, a tank top, and a zip up hoodie. She had a pair of flip flops on and he hair had been let down from the ponytail that it had been in, leaving her hair in blonde, beach waves.

"Yeah. Later, man," Flynn said to Tyler.

"You too," Tyler said back, before Flynn and Paige left the house, heading in the opposite direction of the both of their houses.

"How are you?" Paige asked.

"Good, you?" Flynn asked back.

"Good," Paige chuckled. "Thanks for asking me to go for a walk this morning. I was actually thinking about taking one earlier anyways. It's so nice outside!"

"It's no problem. I uh, I like company on a walk," Flynn shrugged, blushing a little.

"What? And none of your siblings could go?" Paige asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They could… I just uh, thought you and I could talk for at least more than five minutes like how we usually do when we casually stumble upon each other out here," Flynn chuckled.

"Casually stumble upon? Flynn, you're starting to make me think that none of that has been casual," Paige joked.

"You're right. I'm stalking you," Flynn joked, playing along.

Paige laughed, "You're funny."

"Thank you?" Flynn replied, almost as if it was a question.

Paige giggled again, "No, it's definitely a compliment." Flynn blushed again, hoping that Paige didn't notice it.

"You know, there are some great railroad tracks just behind here. This track doesn't get used much and I love going out there and just taking pictures," Flynn said, changing the subject after a comfortable silence between the two.

"You're a photographer?" Paige asked, interested.

Flynn chuckled, "I guess so."

"What?" Paige asked.

"What?" Flynn asked back.

"How do you 'guess' that you're a photographer?" Paige asked.

"I don't know," Flynn shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "It's not like I'm really good or anything. I just like taking pictures… there are some really interesting things you find and… I don't know. It's not like I go around advertising the fact that I'm a photographer."

Paige chuckled, "Okay, I get it. But I bet you're lying and that you're probably really good at it."

"Don't count on it," Flynn replied.

"So you ever think about doing it?" Paige asked.

"What, photography?" Flynn asked back.

"Yeah, you know, for a living or something," Paige replied, casually.

Flynn shrugged, "I don't know, maybe. But enough about me. What about you? I'm sure you have some secret hidden talent that you're just dying to tell me about."

"Nope, not really," Paige giggled.

"Oh, come on! What do you like to do in your spare time?" Flynn asked, encouragingly.

"Uh… well, I draw some. I'm alright but my drawings are mainly inspired by music," Paige replied.

"Oh God," Flynn groaned.

"What?" Paige asked, a little alarmed.

"Don't tell me we have two tortured artists on this block? My family already makes fun of me enough for being one," Flynn teased.

"Hey! No one said anything about my art being all tortured and twisty. Maybe it's just full of unicorns and rainbows. Ever think of that?" Paige asked back.

Flynn laughed, "Yeah, alright. I'm jumping the gun here."

"Yes, you are," Paige pointed out. "And besides, I wouldn't mind having another tortured artist friend."

"Yeah, at least I'm not all alone now," Flynn pointed out. Paige laughed. "What?"

"Nothing. I just never thought that you'd be the type… you're on the JV football team, I've heard all about your older brother… but you're a photographer, you're artistic. People really surprise you these days," Paige observed.

"A good surprise, I hope," Flynn replied.

"Yes. It's definitely a good surprise," Paige smiled.

Paige and Flynn walked pretty far until Flynn remembered he had to get back by 11:30. They headed back, walking a little bit faster than when they began walking. Flynn walked up to his driveway and Paige came with him. By then, the whole family was loading up cars, already out on the driveway. The Gallaghers' car was back in the driveway.

"Flynn, good, you're back in time," Dean said, seeing his son.

"Where is everyone going?" Paige asked Flynn, quietly.

"Oh, it's just uh, a family outing," Flynn replied.

"Huh."

"Come on, dude. You're in my car," Jude shouted to Flynn.

"In a second," Flynn shouted back.

Just then, Kitty and Bryan Gallagher came outside of the house and noticed Paige with the Winchesters.

"Hey!" Kitty said, grabbing everyone's attention, as she and her husband made their way over to the Winchesters' driveway.

"Morning," Meredith said back.

"Paige, Tyler said you were out," Bryan said.

"Oh, I went for a walk with Flynn this morning," Paige replied. Bryan nodded, noting this.

"Where are you all of to this morning?" Kitty asked.

"Just a family outing," Dean shrugged.

"You guys know each other?" Paige asked, suspiciously.

"Yeah, we're old friends. We go way back," Dean answered.

"Oh yeah? Where from?" Paige asked, curiously. Dean then realized his mistake in saying that. He should've just lied and said no, but he wasn't thinking. That's right. The Gallagher kids didn't know anything about hunting or their parents' past.

"Oh, just… you know," Meredith started.

"College," Kitty spit out. The three adults looked at Kitty, waiting for an explanation. "Yeah, Dean and your father went to college together."

"Yeah. Gotta love Cornell," Dean lied, naming the first college that came to his mind.

"Dad, you went to Cornell? I thought you went to NCSU," Paige started.

"Well, yes, I transferred and then ended up at NCSU," Bryan added.

"We should get going, but we just wanted to stop by and say hi," Kitty started.

"Yeah, it's great seeing you guys. Actually, we're having a birthday party for our eldest son, Jude and a family friend of ours, Renee, on Sunday, if you guys would like to come," Meredith offered, trying to ease the tension from the previous situation.

"That sounds great, Meredith. We'll let you know," Bryan replied.

"Great," Meredith replied. Meredith and Dean both exchanged glances as if to say: that was a close one!

* * *

><p>As soon as the Winchesters got to the hunting center, they all broke up into pairs or threes to work on specific training. Victoria, Jude, and all went to work on combat skills while John worked at a punching bag and Flynn was reading up on some of the journals and books that sat in the study. Just then, Dean came into the study as he saw his son sitting here.<p>

"Hey," Dean said.

"Hey," Flynn said, looking up from his book.

"Watcha readin'?" Dean asked.

"Oh, just Grandpa's journal," Flynn replied.

Dean looked the book over with a nostalgic sentiment. After his dad died, it was the closest thing he had to him. That journal had meant a lot to him. It was even a big deal when he let Meredith read it for the first time, especially the earlier entries.

"I see," Dean answered.

"Hey Dad, can I ask you something?" Flynn asked, putting the journal down on the desk.

"Yeah, what's up?" Dean asked back.

"Why did you guys lie about how you knew the Gallaghers?" Flynn asked.

Dean sighed, "Meredith and I met Kitty and Bryan a while ago back when were hunting."

"Yeah, but so? Dad, you didn't even go to college. I mean, you took those classes, but you didn't go to Cornell," Flynn replied.

"Flynn, hunting is… messy. Your mom and I didn't want to have to teach you… all of this, but it just so happened that we had to," Dean started.

"Because of the prophecy. John and Jude needed it and we figured you and Victoria would be better off knowing how to protect yourself. You know your Uncle Sam and Aunt Sawyer hate the idea of their kids hunting – they most likely won't need it, but it's better off that you guys know how to protect yourselves," Dean explained.

"Okay," Flynn said.

"The Gallaghers haven't told their kids about hunting. They don't want to, and they want to keep it that way. That's why we lied," Dean said back.

"Oh," Flynn said. "But you just said it yourself. It would be helpful for them to at least know the basics to protect themselves, right? That's just not fair! I mean, they should tell their kids, right?"

"Some people… sometimes they just want out for good, which means no hunting, no matter how beneficial the basics are. Most hunters don't even make it to this point. Your mom and I, Sammy, the Gallaghers, we were all lucky enough to be able to get out of the life and start families. Most die before this. Hell, I thought I would. I did. Don't worry. I don't like the fact that they're keeping their kids in the dark about it either, but I think it's probably best if we respect the Gallaghers wishes," Dean replied.

"Yeah," Flynn mumbled.

"Hey, why don't you and go back out there?" Dean encouraged.

"Sure," Flynn said, standing up and closing John's journal.

He left the study, following his dad. Dean put on some gloves and held up his hands for Flynn to punch. He knew his son could use some practice. Flynn threw a punch at Dean's glove covered hands. Dean glanced over to see Meredith teaching their children some new kicks and how to do a swoop kick, knocking your opponent onto their feet. Dean smirked. He could never get over how hot his wife looked, kicking some ass.

"That's good, Flynn. Now, give me your best right hook," Dean encouraged.


	7. The Birthday Party

"Hey, Mom, where do you want this?" Jude asked, motioning over to the flat, silver, metal baking ban that was sitting on the counter. Meredith had just set it down on the table after taking them out of the oven and letting the cookies cool off.

"Oh, you can just leave them there. We probably won't put them outside until later. Actually, do you think you could just take them off the pan?" Meredith asked back.

"Uh, yeah, sure, Mom," Jude said, getting a plate out from the cabinet. Jude then heard his sister and cousin talking and knew that the peace and quiet would soon end.

"Ooh, cute shoes. Yeah, everything's happening outside this year since it's not raining like the last time. Come on. Flynn's already out there," Victoria said to her cousin Haley, almost immediately after Haley arrived. She ushered her cousin outside. There was a long table set up on the patio for dinner, and the lawn was just empty area for whatever. There were a few lawn chairs out there, set up and the Dean and Sam were already at the grill, firing it up.

"Thanks," Haley replied. "Yeah, that really sucked when it rained last year when we threw the party at Molly and Ethan's." The two families switched off each year, who held the party since it was a Winchester/Walsh tradition to have a joint birthday party, usually just for family, for Jude and Renee, since their birthdays were in the same month. It was always a "last bash" kind of thing before Jude went back to Haverford. It was one of those end of summer kind of things. "So Tyler's coming? I can't believe you invited him!"

"I know! I can't either. It was like… I was thinking about it, and then the next minute, I just kind of asked him and it was already too late when my brain caught up to me saying, 'woah, did you really just do that?' I'm glad he said yes because that would be awkward," Victoria laughed. Haley laughed too.

"Yeah, well, if it counts for anything, I think he likes you," Haley pointed out.

"You do?" Victoria asked, blushing.

"He's always talking to you at lunch, and any other time the Gallaghers are with us, he's always with you," Haley answered. "Aw, you're blushing!"

"I am not!" Victoria protested, shyly. "Well… what if it's just a friend thing? I mean, he could really just want to be friends and I know I was kind of his first friend here so-."

"Uh uh. No. We are not going there. Boys do not talk to pretty girls all the time like that, if they just want to be friends. Trust me," Haley advised.

Victoria chuckled, before sighing, "I don't want to get my hopes up."

"I know so nothing's definite, but for now, there is nothing wrong with speculating," Haley shrugged.

"Hey, dude," Haley said, greeting Flynn.

"Hey. You know… this is just a birthday party. You don't have to be so fancy all the time," Flynn teased, gesturing to what Haley was wearing. Haley looked down at her white chiffon blouse and blue high waist shorts.

"I'm classy," she declared.

"Yeah, whatever," Flynn said, shaking his head with a little laugh. He drank the rest of his soda before tossing the empty can to the recycling bin that was outside.

"It's true," Victoria nodded in agreement.

"Well, I hope you brought a shirt to change in or something seeing as we're probably going to play some football," Flynn said back.

"Aw, man! I forgot about that. Can I borrow a shirt or something later?" Haley asked.

"Yeah," Victoria laughed.

"Yeah, it won't matter. I'm not the one who has someone to impress at this party," Haley teased.

"What?" Flynn asked, looking from his sister to his cousin, and then back at his sister again.

"Yeah, you haven't noticed? Victoria's hot for Tyler and Tyler's totally hot for Victoria too," Haley said simply.

"Haley!" Victoria exclaimed.

"What? Don't worry. I'm not jinxing it. It's just a theory," Haley shrugged, a smile playing across her face.

"Wait, you too?" Flynn asked. Victoria and Haley both exchanged glances before fighting a smile, and then eventually giving in, bursting into laughter. "What?" Flynn crossed his arms over his chest, looking at both of the girls and shifting uncomfortably. Haley really was like a sister to them. Sometimes, it was almost like they were triplets instead of twins and most of the time he had to remind himself that Haley was their cousin.

"What, you're hot for Tyler too?" she asked, teasingly sarcastic.

"No!" Flynn exclaimed, his eyes widening. He then lowered his voice and leaned in so he could speak quieter, "Paige."

"Ohhhhhh. No wonder you two are always together!" Victoria exclaimed.

"See? I told you. Boys don't just talk to girls all the time if they just want to be friends," Haley said, looking right at Victoria.

"They're just theories, Haley," Victoria reminded.

"I know, I know," Haley giggled, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Hey, everyone!" Molly said, coming outside. She had a bowl of fruit salad in her arms as she was followed by her two daughters, Iz and Renee. There were replies of a 'hi' back, as they all greeted each other.

"Happy birthday, Renee! Ooh, I love your shirt," Victoria said, hugging her friend, as soon as she got to her.

"Thanks. Hey, at least you have good taste in music. John's always going on about how classic rock will always be better, trashing mine," Renee chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Since when?" Victoria asked.

"Oh, we just had this thing on Friday… catching up and stuff," Renee replied, hoping to avoid the subject.

"Like a date?" Victoria asked, intrigued. Hey, maybe John was finally coming to his senses. She hoped he was. Renee was perfect for him! She was gorgeous, smart, funny… their family already liked her. It would be perfect. Then again, she knew John didn't always think with his upstairs brain. She knew she promised that she wouldn't meddle, but it was almost too tempting right now…

"No," Renee replied.

"Huh, well-," Victoria started.

"Hey, you're mom told me that the Gallaghers are coming to the party. You know, you and Tyler have been pretty close lately," Renee said, quickly changing the subject. Victoria knew just what her friend was doing but decided to give in anyways.

"Oh… yeah…" Victoria blushed.

"Well, do you like him?" Renee asked.

"Uh… yeah," Victoria answered, hesitantly.

"Well good. Tonight should be interesting then. You kinda rushed the whole 'meet the family' don't you think?" Renee teased.

"Yeah, I know. What was I thinking?" Victoria exclaimed.

"I'm kidding!" Renee chuckled, trying to comfort Victoria.

"Well, I invited him but then my parents kind of invited the whole family. They're old hunting friends but we're supposed to pretend not to know all about that. The Gallaghers didn't exactly tell their kids about hunting so… we have to keep it a secret," Victoria replied.

"I see," Renee said back. "You know, I always wonder what that's like. The whole hunting thing…"

"It's… fun, I guess," Victoria shrugged. "I haven't gone out on one yet so I wouldn't know." Just then, John and Cole came out of the house, talking about something – Victoria couldn't tell what. Jackson, Haley and Cole's younger brother followed, trying to keep up with the elder boys. John saw Renee, making eye contact with her and nodding at her. Victoria laughed.

"What?" Renee asked.

"He just gave you the nod," Victoria replied, trying to contain her amusement and also, her satisfaction that John was finally coming to his senses.

"He did not give-, what nod?" Renee asked.

"You know. _The _nod. My brother's totally into you," Victoria chuckled, shaking her head. There was no way she was going to stay out of this now.

"I-," Renee began.

"Hey, I'm going to see if Mom needs help. I'll see you later," Victoria said, practically bolting for the house before Renee could say anything else. Knowing her older brother, she knew he'd say something to her. That was her plan. After almost six years of being polite to each other, Victoria was more than happy to see John and Renee attached at the hip again – if it got that way.

"Hey, Mom, need any help?" Victoria asked going inside.

"Uh-," Meredith started, cut off by the sound of the doorbell. "Must be the Gallaghers."

"I'll get it!" Victoria said, almost too eagerly.

"Okay," Meredith said, chuckling to herself.

Back outside, Cole and his younger brother Jackson had gone over to Iz, Haley, and Flynn, all gathered on the lawn, just standing around and talking. At first, this joint birthday party had been an excuse to get all of the family and friends together, but it had really become something special.

"Hey," John said.

"Hey," Renee replied, her eyes lighting up as she saw him. "I made this for you." She handed him the mixed CD and John took it, looking it over once or twice.

"Wait, aren't I supposed to be giving you things seeing as it's your birthday party?" John asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Renee shrugged, "We had a deal."

"Well, uh, if you want, I've got a little birthday favor for you… if you want to take this upstairs," John smirked, leaning in towards Renee. Renee put a hand on his chest, pushing him away from her.

"I don't think so, sweetheart," Renee said, challengingly.

"My offer stands till twelve tonight," John said back.

"Well, I won't be needing it," Renee shot back.

"You keep 'em guessing, huh?" John asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Renee replied, innocently.

"It's alright. I like the chase," John said, winking at her. Renee honestly didn't know what to say. John was hitting on her so fast, she could barely register what was going on right now. What was with him? All of a sudden, he wanted to be friends again and now this? She hadn't said whether she'd tutor him or not. She wanted to… but if he was going to pull this stuff all the time, she honestly didn't know. Then again, John was sweet, at least to her, and she liked him. She would be helping him, right? _Stop thinking about yourself, Renee_. It's not about you, she thought to herself.

"John! Come on! We're going to start a game!" Cole called out to his cousin.

"That's my cue," John said.

"Go ahead," Renee replied, a little smile on her face.

John jogged over to Cole, looking at the ground and smiling, his back to Renee. So many mixed signals! There was one thing he did know for sure. She made him feel pretty damn good.

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Renee and Jude, happy birthday to you," everyone sang, as Meredith and Ethan brought out the cake. Jude's candles were in blue and Renee's candles were in pink. That's how they always did the whole joint birthday celebration cake anyways.<p>

"Make a wish," Ethan said, as they set down the cake in front of the two. Jude and Renee exchanged glances, before blowing out the candles. Everyone clapped and cheered for the two and a couple of pictures were taken.

"Alright, cake time!" John announced.

Meredith and Ethan cut the cake and Dean, Sam, and Sawyer, helped distribute it to the many people at this year's birthday party. Victoria and Tyler were across from each other at the long table when they finally got cake.

"That's quite a mouthful – that song. Have you guys just gotten used to singing to both Renee and Jude? I didn't even know what to say…" Tyler asked, chuckling a little.

"Yeah, I think it's just become a habit," Victoria replied.

"Thanks for inviting us, by the way. It's uh, not so easy being the new kid. I guess we kinda lucked out with you guys as neighbors," Tyler said.

Victoria blushed, "Oh, it's no problem. We love new people. Besides, this town gets kind of boring… We've all gone to school with each other since kindergarten so I think everyone knows everyone by the time we hit high school. It's nice to have new faces."

"I don't know. With your family, I'd think you'd never get bored," Tyler pointed out.

Victoria groaned, "Sorry about that. They're crazy, I know."

"You guys are fun," Tyler shrugged.

"What? You've actually enjoyed playing football with my family all evening?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah. Besides, it's really funny. Your brothers get so… competitive," Tyler replied, with a small chuckle. Victoria laughed too, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, they are. Cole's not as bad, but my three brothers are a nightmare sometimes. It does make game night interesting. We all get so competitive that it makes it about ten times more fun than any game night really should be," Victoria chuckled.

"Game night?" Tyler asked.

"Shut up. Game night's awesome!" Victoria defended.

"So what? You guys just have a family competition playing… scrabble?" Tyler teased.

"Hey, I am the queen of scrabble, just so you know," Victoria replied, playfully cocky.

"Really?" Tyler asked, intrigued.

"Yep," Victoria answered, proudly.

"Hm… well, that's interesting seeing as I've been called 'scrabble king' several times," Tyler replied, challengingly.

"Scrabble king, huh?" Victoria asked back, a flirty smile playing her face. She could just feel the electricity between the two and it was killing her. It took her everything not to just jump his bones right there. There was so much tension… this flirty, challenging banter was enough to make her go crazy. She wondered if he was feeling it to. "Well, scrabble king, I'd enjoy kicking your ass any day."

"I'd like to see you try," he challenged, playfully. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Time and place. You name it."

Victoria smirked that Winchester smirk, "I might just take you up on that."

"Hey, anyone up for another game?" John asked, tossing the football between his hands.

"You're just mad because you lost the last game," Jude teased.

"Shut up," John said, shoving his brother playfully. Victoria and Tyler exchanged glances, before sharing a laugh.

"You up for another round?" Victoria asked.

"You're going to play this time?" Tyler asked, surprised.

Victoria chuckled, "Yeah. I was raised with three brothers. Let's just say that I don't play nice." Victoria got up, leaving Tyler speechless and trying to hide a smile. Tyler was always so used to getting the last word in but damn, this girl was good. He had definitely met his match. He watched as she stood by her brothers.

"Hey, I'm going to run upstairs and change. Do you mind if I just borrow some Nike shorts and a t-shirt?" Haley asked, going over to Victoria.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead," Victoria replied.

"So you and Tyler have been awfully close all night. You're talking a lot," Haley started.

"Okay, I get your point," Victoria groaned, laughing a little.

"I'm just saying," Haley shrugged, innocently, before disappearing into the house and running upstairs to change into some clothes that she'd actually be able to play football in.

"Hey, why don't we all play this go round?" Meredith suggested.

"Sounds like a great idea, babe," Dean agreed, looking over at his wife.

"Cool. Mom's on my team!" John shouted. Jude glared at his younger brother. "What? Mom's really good at this game and I am not losing this round!"

"Fine, Dad, you're on my team," Jude said.

Dean chuckled, "Alright, boys."

"I'd be up for a game," Renee chimed in.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're on my team, babe," John smirked, snaking his arm around her.

"Stop it," Renee said, rolling her eyes playfully. She shrugged his arm off of her before saying, "And don't call me 'babe'."

"Kitty? Bryan? Any chance we could interest you two in a nice game of football?" Meredith asked.

"I think I'll pass for today, but thanks," Kitty said.

"Yeah, I'm going to sit this one out," Bryan agreed.

"Uh oh. Not another family game of football. We all know how well that ended up last year," Sawyer groaned, coming out of the house and glancing round.

"Oh come on. We're just having fun," Meredith begged.

"I don't know. If Sam plays, I'll play," Sawyer replied.

"Hey, babe, you gonna play a game?" Sam asked, coming over to his wife.

"I guess it's a yes," Meredith said, before going over to John. He was calling everyone over so that they could split up into teams. Molly and Ethan decided to play too. Iz didn't, afraid that she would get her vest dirty. Ethan played, but Molly sat with the Gallaghers, trying to get to know them better. Flynn looked around the craziness of this whole football thing. He couldn't find Paige anywhere as he went back into the house, escaping all of the chaos.

Once everyone was ready, they started the game. Cole started.

"Hike!" he called out, passing the football to John. John took the football eagerly, beginning to run with it. Jude almost immediately charged at his brother, trying to take the football and knock him down but John quickly threw the ball to his mom, who was right near the end zone. Meredith caught it before sprinting towards the end zone and making a touchdown.

"Yes!" Cole exclaimed.

"Nice, Mom!" John yelled out. The rest of the team celebrated while Meredith tossed the ball to Jude so that he could start the next play.

Jude looked back at his Dad before calling, "Hike" and throwing the ball to Dean. Dean started running with it, but then when he realized he was cornered, he threw it to Sam, and Sam threw it to Sawyer, who took it right the end zone.

"You sure you're going to win, little brother?" Jude asked.

"Shut up," John replied, before running to his place in the yard. Ethan took the football this time, starting the game. He threw it to Renee and then Renee threw it to Meredith, who ran towards the end zone, but out of nowhere, Dean came, sidelining her, and picking her up in his arms so that she wouldn't score a touchdown.

"No blitzing!" she yelled, through laughter as Dean put her back down on the ground. Dean just shook his head, smiling at his wife before kissing her.

"Ew. Come on, guys," John groaned.

"Stop it. Your parents are adorable," Renee said.

"No they're not! They're always making out. It's weird!" John replied.

"No, it's because they're so in love with each other. You can just see it by the way they look at each other," Renee pointed out.

John cocked his head to the side. He hadn't really given it much thought, but his parents were fifty and both were so in love with each other. Was that what he should be looking for? John shook his head. No. He was in high school. He was at the period of his life where he was just looking for fun… right? Jamie was all he needed. Fun. Or was she? Maybe he should be looking for something like what his parents had. Hell, his parents began dating in high school. John shook the thoughts from his mind.

Back in the house, Flynn had gotten a glass of water. He noticed that Paige wasn't there anymore and he wondered where she had gone. He went through the house, out the front door, and up the driveway where, no surprise, he found Paige sitting on the tree swing again in her front yard.

"Hey," Flynn said, going over to her, this time, cutting across the grass.

"Hey," Paige smiled, looking up at him.

"What're you doing out here?" Flynn asked.

"Oh, I wasn't really in the mood to play football and I didn't want you to feel like you had to stay with me," Paige replied.

"Oh, no. I wouldn't- I mean, you didn't have to-, it's not-," Flynn stammered before just stopping and laughing. Paige laughed too, looking up at him.

"I love this swing. I'm so glad your previous neighbors had this already because I know we never would've done something like this," Paige started.

"Yeah, the neighbors had toddlers. They loved this thing," Flynn said.

"Are you calling me a toddler?" Paige asked, jokingly.

"Maybe," Flynn shrugged, jokingly.

"Thanks for inviting me and my family. It was great, tonight," Paige said.

"It's no problem," Flynn replied, simply.

"Flynn?" Paige asked, turning around to look at him.

"Yeah?" Flynn asked. His eyes met Paige's and he knew what she was asking. Hell, he was too. Flynn leaned in a little, hoping that his instincts weren't wrong. They weren't. Paige leaned in farther and Flynn met her lips with his, pulling her into a sweet, short kiss. They parted for a second before leaning back in and kissing again.

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday, birthday bud," Renee said, standing on her tiptoes, hugging Jude. Almost everyone was gone by now. Flynn and Victoria were upstairs, finishing some homework, and everyone but the Walshes had left. Iz was waiting in the car with Molly and Ethan while Renee had gone back to get the sweater she left.<p>

"You too, birthday bud," Jude chuckled.

"You won't forget about us when you're some famous surgeon, curing cancer, right?" Renee asked.

"I highly doubt I'll be curing cancer. Besides, that would require me to be in the lab instead of the OR," Jude reminded.

"Right. Well, you could do both!" Renee suggested.

Jude chuckled, "I don't know… I think I'm more of a surgeon than one of those guys in the stuff lab coats experimenting with some kind of cell mutation. Hey, you're still looking at Haverford, right?"

"Yeah," Renee answered.

"Well, if you come visit, promise me you'll come say hi over at Drexel. Actually, you should look at Drexel too. It's a great school," Jude started.

"Maybe," Renee said.

"One day I'll convince you to look at it but I know you've had your eye on Haverford for forever," Jude chuckled.

Renee laughed, giving Jude one more hug, "Have fun at school. I'll see you around Thanksgiving."

"You too. Hey, don't forget to have fun this year, alright? You're a senior," Jude said.

"I won't," Renee replied, pulling away from the hug. Jude and Renee were actually pretty close friends too. Jude was like Rene's big brother.

"What? None for me?" John asked, approaching the two. Renee and Jude both turned to see John standing in the hallway.

"Hey, John," Renee answered weirdly.

"Okay, weird, awkward vibes. I think this is my cue to leave," Jude said, looking from John and Renee. What was up with them? What was up with them talking, especially the part where John was flirting with her… constantly. I mean, it was about time that John opened his eyes and saw how gorgeous Renee was, but still. It was really weirding Jude out. They were all so sure that John and Renee would get together, but after middle school when they stopped talking, Jude wasn't sure it would happen. He knew the kind of girls that his brother went for. He had even gone down that path around high school, early college years, but he knew Renee would actually be good for his brother. It's about damn time…

"Listen, I've got to go. My family is waiting for me in the car," Renee said.

"Oh," John replied, surprised at the disappointment that came out in his tone.

"I'll see you at school," Renee said, before turning around and beginning to leave. She wanted to trust John but at the same time, she was afraid of trusting him. There was this constant conflict. She stopped before saying, "I'll tutor you, John."

"Yeah?" John asked, hopeful.

"Yeah," Renee replied.

"Cool," he said, a smile spreading across his face.

"I should go," she said, uncomfortably.

"Oh-, yeah, right…" John stammered.

"I'll uh, see you tomorrow," Renee replied.

"You too," John said. The two of them just stood there, not exactly knowing what to do, before John initiated a really awkward hug between the two. The minute they connected though, it wasn't awkward. It just felt… good.

"Bye," Renee said, pulling away. That hadn't been a good idea. It was just getting easier to trust him and… well, what if he cut her out again the minute they started getting close?

"Bye," John replied. There were these weird feelings that he was experiencing. It was different than what he felt for the girls he had been seeing within the past 6 months. Yep… this was definitely different. This was not lust.


	8. Locker Room Talk

John closed his locker, only to find Jamie standing there, leaned up against it with her head tilted in a flirty way, to the side.

"Hey," he said, seeing her. He shot her one of those boyish, crooked smiles of his. John tucked his book underneath his arm and pressed his back against his locker and the next one.

"How was that family thing you had this weekend?" she asked, curiously, attempting to start conversation. Jamie wasn't quite sure how this whole thing worked. They hadn't even really even decided what they were. All she knew was that they didn't do much talking when they were together, but she almost wanted that. She barely knew anything about John, at least about his family and all of that stuff, and she was curious.

"It was good," John shrugged.

"Yeah?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah. Family stuff is always pretty fun. I mean, I know it sounds kind of lame but they're important to me, you know?" John replied, simply.

"Yeah… hey, listen. We haven't really done anything for a while. Why don't you come over to my place tomorrow afternoon," Jamie started. She was starting to get worried. Was John losing interest? He seemed different – distant. He wasn't all over her like he usually was. She didn't like it one bit.

"Uh… tomorrow afternoon? I've got a thing," John replied.

"What kind of thing?" Jamie asked. John froze. Since when had she become the crazy, clingy girlfriend? They weren't official or anything! To John's knowledge, they were just hanging out; friends with benefits. It was really starting to freak John out. He crossed his arms over his chest. She never used to ask these kinds of questions.

"Just a thing. It's not really important or anything," John answered. He realized he was being vague and it was probably driving Jamie crazy. Then again, how much did he really want something with her? Was she expecting something out of this? Going into this, John thought they were on the same page – that they were just having fun. He didn't really want to lose that. John shook the thoughts from his mind and just went back to his assumption that they were just having fun.

"Oh… well, can't you just blow it off?" Jamie asked, getting a little annoyed with John. If it was no big deal, then how come he couldn't skip? Was he lying to her? Had really just lost interest?

"Look, it's about tutoring. I suck at math," John replied, caving. He was getting a little freaked out by the clingy vibe that Jamie was sending.

"Oh, that's cool. Walk me to class?" Jamie requested.

"Actually, I've got to jet. I told my first period teacher that I'd be early," John replied.

"Since when do you care about grades?" Jamie asked, a little confused. John just shrugged. "Well, have I told you lately that I like smart boys?"

John smirked, "I'll see you later, Jamie." Jamie turned around once to look at John while he left but John was practically gone in a heartbeat. John hurried off, passing by his first period class and down the next hall to the chem lab. He peeked in to see only a couple of people in it – not even the person he was looking for.

"John, you do know your first class is in the next hall right over, don't you?" that familiar, sweet voice asked. John looked up and grinned seeing Renee. _Damn she looked good_, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, I wanted to come see you," John replied, turning on the charm.

Renee rolled her eyes, "Look, John, I said I'd tutor you, not sleep with you."

"Why you gotta take it like that?" John asked.

Renee shoot him a look, "I'm not stupid, John. I hear things." She then turned around, beginning to go into the classroom.

"Has anyone ever told you not to listen to rumors?" John asked.

Renee stopped and turned around to look at him before saying, "Alright, correction: I see things. You have a new girl on your arms like… every week. Besides, you have sex on the brain like 24/7."

"Look, I just wanted to say 'hi'. If you take that wrong, maybe you're the one that always has sex on the brain," John challenged.

"You're right, John. Right now all I can think about is skipping today and just have wild, crazy sex with you in that car of yours," Renee answered, sarcastically.

"Mm, now that's an idea," John smirked.

Renee rolled her eyes, "Great. Now you're thinking about it."

"So?"

"So, don't you have a girlfriend or something?"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

At that moment, Renee could really tell that there was something bothering John, so she dropped it, "Yeah, sure. Did you want something?"

"I can think of a few things I want," John smirked.

"Hey, I thought we agreed we'd drop it," Renee reminded.

"Yeah… I just wanted to come say 'hi' or something. You know, now that you're my new tutor and everything," John said, wondering himself why he had come.

"Okay. Well uh, hi," Renee said, awkwardly. Was this going to get him to go away? As crazy as John drove her, part of her liked it. The random visits from him… she saw him a lot more than she used to and although she was trying not to trust him, she loved the feeling of being with him again. When they were kids, it was as if they could conquer the world together, and she loved having that feeling again.

"Hi," John said back. And for once, John actually almost felt shy, talking to a girl. They both exchanged glances before sharing a small laugh. "So we still on for tutoring tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Renee replied, recovering from their moment. It was moments like these where Renee was ready to blindly trust him again.

"Cool. I thought we could go over to my house," John said, before noticing the look on Renee's face. "Don't worry. My parents will be home."

"Psh, like that'd stop you," Renee teased.

"Hey, no promises, okay? If I make a move, you can't hold it against me," John shrugged.

Renee giggled, rolling her eyes, "John, go to class! You're going to be late."

"I'd much rather stay here with you," John smirked.

"Really, because we're testing the theory of-," Renee started.

"Ew! School! Never mind," John exclaimed, covering his ears. Renee laughed. The two shared a silence. John wasn't exactly what to say next but Renee had a question that had been bothering her for a while. She didn't want to ask it but she knew she had to, in order to stay sane. She knew that she had to ask so she could stop arguing over whether or not she could trust him again. If John was just doing this to get in her pants, she knew he'd be honest about it. John asked for what he wanted. She knew that.

"John, I have to ask… why now? We haven't talked since middle school so why try this whole reconnection thing?" Renee asked.

John shrugged, "It's our last year home and you know, I don't want to leave high school with… hatchets unburied."

"Oh, okay," Renee said, surprised at the disappointed tone that came out of her mouth. She smiled politely before turning around and walking into her classroom. She was halfway through the door when John stopped her again.

"I miss you," he said. Renee stopped in her tracks, turning around to look at John. She had known John for so long that, even though they had been distant, she could tell when he was lying and when he was being honest and right now, he had one of the most sincere looks in his eyes that she had ever seen him have. "We used to be such good friends… and spending time with you reminds me of that. I miss it."

"Yeah, me too," Renee admitted.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I didn't see you at lunch so your sister told me I could find you here," Paige said, walking into the school's darkroom. She looked around the room, amazed at all the pictures that were hanging up. She admired those that were artistic because she felt like she didn't have an artistic bone in her body.<p>

She and Flynn had been talking ever since that Sunday of Jude and Renee's birthday party. They'd been hanging out a lot, convenient that they were next door neighbors. They had even kissed on occasion but nothing had really been defined. As of now, they were just 'hanging out'.

"Oh, yeah. I needed to work on some of my photographs. I got half of them done on Friday but I wanted to come and finish them," Flynn said, taking down some of his photographs and placing them on the work table next to him.

"Mind if I look at them?" Paige asked, curiously.

"Not at all. Go ahead," Flynn replied. Flynn shot her a smile before returning to his work. Paige flipped through the pictures.

"Wow," she said. Flynn looked up and narrowed his eyes at the photograph. "This is your mom, right?"

"Yeah," Flynn answered.

"She's so beautiful. God, she and your dad… they're just so in love," Paige marveled, looking through the pictures.

"I love it when they don't know anyone's around. I just take pictures and… that's what I love about photography. There are so many things people can't see. It's… those quiet moments. I- I don't know. It sounds kind of stupid but-," Flynn started.

"No, it doesn't sound stupid at all. It's artistic," Paige smiled, inching towards Flynn.

Flynn chuckled, blushing a little, "You actually make it sound like I'm not a dork."

"You're not!" Paige giggled. "Besides, I like dorks."

"You do?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah," Paige replied, before closing the gap between the two and kissing him again. Flynn pulled Paige into his arms, deepening the kiss between them. "Flynn."

"Yeah?" Flynn asked, in between kisses.

"What're we-, what're we doing?" Paige asked back. Flynn pulled away, looking at her.

Flynn shrugged, "I don't know. I thought we were just kissing."

Paige laughed, a little bit embarrassed. Boys could be so oblivious sometimes, "No, I mean. Are we just… kissing? Is that all this is to you?"

"Oh," Flynn said. Shit. This wasn't going to end well, was it? Paige was so nervous. Flynn just said 'oh'. That couldn't be good, right? "I mean, not really… I'll be honest. I like you. It's… whatever you want it to be."

"Well, what do you want it to be?" Paige asked, dancing around an answer.

"I-, I don't know. We could… you know, like, do the whole boyfriend and girlfriend thing. You know, just if you wanted to. If you don't want to then we don't have to. It's just…you kissed me and-," Flynn rambled, nervously. He wasn't suave like John was and he wasn't good with words like Jude was. He didn't know what to say in these situations but it's what he wanted. He did want a relationship with Paige. He knew it was early, but there was just an instant connection there and if they were already kissing, why not?

"Yeah, okay," Paige said, cutting him off.

"Really?" Flynn asked, surprised.

"Yes, really," Paige giggled. She then realized that this guy was not aware to the fact that he was gorgeous.

"I mean, you don't think it's happening to fast? I mean, we just met…" Flynn started. "I don't know." He chuckled, trying to laugh off his embarrassment. Paige laughed too.

"I thought about that, but I mean, we already kissed. Why not just go for it, you know?" Paige asked.

Flynn nodded, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Well, great minds think alike," Paige answered with a small smile. "So uh… now that you're my boyfriend, do you mind if I stay here with you for the rest of lunch?" Sitting on the counter of the dark room.

"I'd love it," Flynn smiled.

"Me too," Paige replied. Paige noticed that Flynn was staring at her, his concentration was really focused. Paige's eyes widened. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's just uh, you're not supposed to sit on those counters. Sorry," Flynn chuckled, embarrassed that he had to even say that to his, now girlfriend. Flynn smiled. She was his girlfriend. They had gotten to know each other so quickly but even though they hadn't known each other for that long, he felt like they had known each other for a long. He loved that they could just sit and talk for hours about anything really.

"Oh! Sorry!" Paige giggled, blushing as she hopped off the counters.

"It's okay," Flynn said.

Back in the cafeteria, there were only five minutes left till class started so everyone was finishing up lunch, cleaning up, and heading out to their next classes. Victoria had her notebooks sprawled out on the lunch table, over by the end of the table, feverishly scribbling things onto the piece of notebook paper. She closed her notebooks and text book, packing it up and attempting to shove all of her stuff into her messenger bag.

"Hey, I didn't want to disrupt you during lunch. You seemed really busy so… you know," a voice said, coming over. Victoria looked up from her stuff to see Tyler standing above her. The other students seemed to be leaving but Tyler just stood there.

"Oh, you should've said something. It probably would've been better than the homework that I just so happened to forget to do last night. It was just one of those things that you forget probably because you never really wanted to do it in the first place. Haley reminded me about the discussion questions I had for world history today so I figured I'd finish them at lunch," Victoria replied with a small laugh. "Sorry, I don't want to make you late to class. If you need to be somewhere-."

"No, no take your time. This is definitely better than civics and econ," Tyler replied.

"Oh," Victoria giggled a little, blushing. He was waiting for her.

"So you have 'world' fifth period?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah," Victoria replied. She slung her messenger back over her shoulder and got up, walking over to Tyler. "Alright, I'm going to stop making you late."

"No worries. Actually, the history classes are in the same hall. Why don't we just head over there together?" Tyler suggested, casually.

"Yeah, okay," Victoria replied. The two walked out of the cafeteria together, and then hurried to class, so that neither of them would be late. He was waiting for her and, theoretically, he was walking her to class. But Victoria shook it off and chalked it up to just being friendly.

* * *

><p>"Don't worry about it, Mom. I'll take Flynn home. Don't make Jude come pick him up. The poor guy has to go back to school next week," John said.<p>

Meredith chuckled, "How is it that I ended up with a kid that hates school?"

"I don't completely hate it. It's simple though. I got Dad's genes," John shrugged.

"Alright, alright. Why is it again that you and Flynn both have practice today? I thought there was only one football field," Meredith asked.

"Oh the soccer team has an away game so the JV football team is just going to run drills over there, maybe even play a small scrimmage," John answered, scratching the back of his head.

"Alright, sweetie. I'll see you later," Meredith said, before returning to her grade book as John left for football practice.

Football practice was good. John didn't have to think about anything when he played. It was a nice clarity of mind for once. His encounter with Jamie today had been really weird and especially ever since he and Renee's not-date, he couldn't stop thinking about her. But now, just during practice, he didn't have to deal with any of it. Once practice was over, they all headed towards the locker rooms. His teammates were not helping out with his dilemma.

"Hey, John, you still hittin' that?" Anthony asked.

"Huh?" John asked, Anthony's voice pulling him out of his thoughts as they all changed back into their street clothes and out of their football gear.

"Jamie Callahan," Anthony answered.

"Yeah. What's she like, dude? I bet she's good – experienced," David, another one of his teammates added, joining the conversation. Cole just shook his head, throwing his shirt over his head as he listened to his teammates pester John about Jamie. Cole himself knew that whatever John and Jamie had had a time limit and time was just about to run out. He also couldn't help notice how John had been with Renee at the birthday party too. He stayed out of the conversation, but he listened curiously.

"Yeah," John shrugged.

"Oh, come on, Winchester. No details?" Kyle, another teammate asked.

"Do I look like a frickin' girl to you?," John replied, teasingly.

"Yeah, whatever. Some of us aren't getting laid by one of the hottest cheerleaders on the team, okay?" Anthony said.

"Yeah, it's good. Chick is kinda clingy though… it's weird," John said.

"What? You already moving on to someone new?" Kyle asked. Kyle was only a sophomore and his goal was to someday be just like John. John couldn't imagine why he was Kyle's idol but he wasn't going to say anything.

"Nah," John lied.

"I don't know, man. You seem to be spending a lot of time with Renee Walsh," David started.

"Oh, nice, dude! She's totally hot!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Nah, it's not like that. We're just friends," John shrugged. He didn't want to talk about Renee. He was fine with objectifying the other girls he dated, but not Renee. He didn't want to think of her as just a piece of ass. He was her friend, right?

"Just friends, my ass!" David exclaimed.

"You think she's a virgin?" Kyle asked, eagerly.

Cole rolled his eyes at the conversation and anticipated what John would do next. Initially, he wanted John and Renee to be together. She would be good for him and he could already tell that they would make each other happy. They always did and by the looks of it now, they still did. What John said next though, would determine whether or not he'd trust John with Renee. They had all grown up together. Cole felt like Renee was his older sister and didn't want to see her get hurt – especially not by John. Cole knew his cousins track record and he was fine with it, as long as it wasn't causing problems with his family.

"I don't know," John shrugged. "It's not like that. Can we just not talk about it?"

"I bet she is," David smiled, wickedly.

"I don't know. She was dating that Trevor guy for a long time last year," Anthony added.

"Seriously, guys! I thought we all had dicks here. Are we really going to gossip like girls?" John asked, teasingly, trying to throw his friends off of his track. Cole snorted with laughter and everyone turned towards him.

"Don't mind me," Cole said, shutting the door to the locker and picking up his sports bag. "See you later, dude. I'm heading home."

"Later," John said to his cousin. He turned back to his friends to see the three of them just staring at him with amused looks on their faces. "What?"

"You've got a thing for her, don't you? Like… a real thing," Anthony asked.

"What? Don't be stupid," John replied.

"Nah, you're getting all defensive and everything. Guess that means you really like her," Anthony teased.

"Shut up," John groaned, shoving his friend playfully as he passed him by, leaving the locker room.


	9. That Awkward Moment When

Meredith sat on the living room floor, flipping through one of her scrapbooks. She wore a big sweatshirt and some shorts that she had changed into once she got home. She slid some of the new pictures from Jude and Renee's birthday party into the photo slip in the book, but didn't do anything with them because she knew she'd have tons more pictures once Flynn developed the ones that he took. Meredith and Dean had been home for a good thirty minutes. Flynn and John had football practice and Jude was out seeing some of his old friends while Victoria was in downtown Sioux Falls with Haley.

"Hey," Meredith heard a voice say. She looked up and smiled as she saw Dean standing above her. "What're you doing?"

"Just updating our scrapbook, that's all," Meredith answered. Dean sat down next to her.

"Mind if I look at it?" Dean asked.

"Sure," Meredith answered, handing it to him. Dean opened up the book and looked through the pictures. He smiled as he started from the beginning, seeing baby pictures of Jude and John. There were pictures of them as toddlers next to pictures of the twins.

"It's scary how fast they grow up, huh?" Dean asked, looking over at his wife.

"Yeah," she sighed, happily. "Jude's off to med school next year, John's off to college, the twins just started high school. It is scary! Soon enough they'll be getting married and having babies. Hah, now I understand how Bobby felt."

"Bobby… he looks so happy right there," Dean said, stopping on the page with pictures of Bobby. There were pictures all the way back to Dean and I's homecoming picture with Bobby, pictures of me and Bobby, Bobby and the boys, and then Bobby with our kids.

"Yeah, he does. You ever think of him?" she asked.

"Yeah, a lot actually," Dean replied.

Meredith nodded, "Me too. I wish he could be here with us but I'm glad he's moved on. You know, sometimes I think about what he's doing up there. My guess is he's with his wife."

"I hope so," Dean said.

"I miss him," Meredith admitted, letting out a soft sigh.

"Me too," Dean said, reaching out for her hand. Dean didn't want to get all emotional at the moment so he quickly changed the subject. "So how are you classes going?"

"They're good. What about yours?" Meredith asked, shortly.

"They're fine. It's kind of nice to just focus on this instead of coaching football this year," Dean replied.

Meredith nodded, "Yeah. At least you had our family on the team for a good while though. Mm, we have that game this Friday, don't we?"

"Yeah," Dean replied.

"I forgot about that. God, I'm getting old," Meredith joked.

"You are not, babe!" Dean protested, a small chuckle following his words.

Dean rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. The two of them looked down at the junction of their hands and then back up, their eyes meeting. A spark shot up Meredith's arm as soon as her husband touched her. Dean was glad that they had the house to themselves because it had been a while and he had been thinking about it for weeks now. Dean and Meredith knew exactly where this was going. How the hell did it turn into this? Dean's eyes flickered back and forth from Meredith's lips to her eyes, his mouth instantly on her, kissing her passionately.

"Dean, I don't know if we should," Meredith said in between kisses.

"We have the house to ourselves and the kids won't be back for another hour or so," Dean said.

"Oh, what the hell?" Meredith said, wrapping her arms around Dean and pulling him down top of her, on the carpeted living room floor.

* * *

><p>Cole and John walked back from football practice to their cars in the parking lot.<p>

"Can I ask you something?" Cole asked John.

"Yeah, shoot," John answered.

"What was up with everyone on Monday in the locker room?" Cole asked.

"What do you mean?" John asked back, hoping they could avoid this conversation. Looked like they weren't going to.

"They were talking about Renee and stuff and I honestly I've been wondering the same thing. What's going on with you?" Cole asked.

John shrugged, "Look, we're just friends, okay?"

"You sure about that?" Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," John lied.

"Really? Because I highly doubt you would be able to be 'just friends' with a girl who looked like that, especially Renee. You two have always been a thing… like since you two were born. Remember how our moms used to always talk about how one day you two were going to end up married?" Cole reminded.

"Woah! Don't you think we're moving a little too fast?" John asked.

Cole chuckled, "I'm just saying. I think it's cool that you two are reconnecting but if she's just a part of one of your games… don't do that, okay, dude? She's a part of our family and I don't want you to screw that up, okay?"

John chuckled, "I won't! Since when did you get so overprotective of her? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were into her."

"What? Ew, no! She's like a sister to me," Cole exclaimed. There was a silence between the two before John said something again.

"I mean… would it be weird if I was into her?" John asked.

"Nah, not at all," Cole replied. "But if you ever decide you are, I think you might want to break whatever it is you have with Jamie off because you and I both know that Renee wouldn't be into that kinda thing."

"What?" John asked.

"Being girlfriend number 340," Cole teased.

"Shut up, man!" John exclaimed, shoving Cole jokingly.

"I'm just trying to prevent you from getting slapped, that's all," Cole defended. Just then, John's cell phone buzzed and he looked at it. It was text from Renee. God, he hoped she wasn't cancelling on him as he opened it up.

**Renee: Hey, car's being taken in. Some kinda recall on it. Any way can we reschedule?**

**John: I can pick you up if you want.**

**Renee: You sure?**

**John: Positive ;)**

**Renee: Do you have to use winky faces in every conversation, John?**

**John: Yes ;)**

**Renee: Goodbye, John.**

**John: ;)**

**Renee: You're ridiculous, you know that?**

**John: ;)**

John laughed at his cheeky response before putting his cell phone back into his pocket. "Yeah, whatever. Look, I've got to be somewhere, but I'll see you later, okay?" John said.

"Yeah, cool. Later," Cole said, as they parted ways. Cole walked back to his car and opened the right side door to the car, before putting his stuff into the car.

"Hey," he heard a voice say. Cole turned around, attempting to get out of the car, but ended up hitting his head on the top of the door.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. He blushed as soon as he saw Greer just standing there in front of his car. "Sorry. Wow, that's embarrassing."

"You're fine," Greer giggled.

"Hey," Cole said.

"I saw your car was still here and thought I'd come say hi or something," Greer started.

"Oh, yeah. What are you doing here after school anyways?" Cole asked.

"Oh! I was just walking around. Sometimes I just like to clear my mind…" Greer trailed off.

"From? Sorry, I shouldn't ask," Cole said.

"No, it's okay! Actually, I was wondering if maybe you and I could talk. I feel bad about dropping that bombshell on you. I mean, I guess I kind of thought you were a hunter and everything," Greer requested, hopefully.

"Yeah, sure. I don't have anything right now and I know a good place," Cole said.

"Okay, cool," Greer smiled.

"Cool," Cole answered, before the two laughed a little, nervously. "So do you want to just follow me over there or something?"

"Sure," Greer said. "I'm parked way over at the end of the parking lot though."

"Oh, that's fine. I'll meet you over there," Cole suggested.

"Okay," Greer nodded.

"Actually, why don't we just go over together? I mean, we're both here. I'll drive," Cole suggested.

"Sure, why not?" Greer asked, trying to hide her smile. God, if her father could see her right now with a Winchester, he'd kill her, but she couldn't stop. She knew it wasn't a good idea to be with him, but he was infectious. She liked being with him a lot. He was the clumsy kind of charming and he made her laugh. She also couldn't help but notice that he was hot as hell. Greer got in on the passenger side of the car and they drove off.

* * *

><p>"Mmm, wow," Dean groaned.<p>

Meredith and Dean were tangled up in each other on the living room floor. After round two, Dean had brought down some pillows and a blanket on the floor from off of the couch, and they had just snuggled up to each other. They had been laying there for a while, just enjoying each others' company, before round three happened.

"We haven't done that in a long time," Meredith sighed, blissfully.

"You're right. We should do that more often," Dean smirked.

"Hey!" Meredith giggled, hitting him playfully. "Well, when you have four kids and they stop taking 5 hour long naps, you start to run out of time for this. Parenthood is so busy!"

"Oh, please. You love it," Dean reminded.

"I do," Meredith smiled. "And now that Jude's home it feels like everything has fallen into place. It's so much work but I love having everyone home. I miss our family being together all the time."

"Yeah, me too," Dean sighed.

Just then, the front door opened and there was a rustling noise as Dean and Meredith's eyes widened as they exchanged glances.

"Shit!" Meredith hissed, throwing the blankets off of them as they scrambled to put their clothes back on. Meredith just threw her big sweatshirt that she was wearing on and then slipped her panties and her shorts on, rolling up the sleeves. Dean was too busy trying to set the room back up. They could hear footsteps coming towards the living room. "Go!" Dean picked up the remaining clothes on the floor before Meredith practically pushed him towards the bathroom, just as John and Renee appeared in the doorway.

"Hi! Renee, it's so good to see you!" Meredith said, using her enthusiasm to distract the two from any suspicions.

"Yeah, you too," Renee smiled back.

"What're you two doing home so early?" Meredith asked.

"Mom, it's five... it's not early," John said in a 'well-duh' tone.

"Right! Well, um, if you two need anything, feel free to ask. I'm just going to start on dinner soon. Renee, if you'd like to stay for dinner, you can if you like," Meredith said, her heart pounding from the adrenaline rush from almost getting caught.

"Oh, I don't-," Renee started.

"Hey, are those dad's?" John asked, spotting the boxers that were strewn on the floor.

Meredith swore under her breath as she went over to pick them up, "I think they are. I was doing laundry earlier today and I guess they must've fallen out of the basket. You know what? I should go give them to him now."

"Where is dad?" John asked, suspiciously.

"Taking a nap," Meredith answered, almost too quickly. Renee stifled a laugh that was approaching.

"You know what? We really should get studying. Bye, Mom," John said, eagerly pulling Renee upstairs. Meredith let out a sigh as soon as John and Renee were gone.

"Hey, that was close," Dean said, poking his head from out behind the bathroom door. He looked around to make sure the coast was clear before coming out of the bathroom, the amalgam of their clothes all balled up in his hands.

Meredith laughed, "Why are you still naked?" Dean shrugged. "Put some clothes on, please!"

"Why? Can't handle me, baby?" Dean smirked.

"No. Now come on!" Meredith encouraged.

The minute John and Renee got upstairs, Renee was laughing hysterically and John took a seat on his bed, traumatized.

"Oh my God!" John groaned.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, but I can't help myself. That's just, oh my God, hilarious! And the look on your face!" Renee said, in between laughter.

"I think we just caught my parents having sex," John said, grossed out. "Ew… that's just, not what I want to come home to."

"I'm sorry. Okay, I'm done now. I'm sorry. Yeah, that's really awkward," Renee said, amused.

"You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you?" John asked.

Renee nodded, "Oh, hell yeah."

"You're mean," John said.

"Am not!" Renee argued.

"Okay, distract me, please! This is… I can't stop thinking about it. I think I'm scarred for life and this is the last thing I want to think about ever so… distract me please!" John begged.

"Um-, okay-, with what?" Renee asked.

"Anything!" John exclaimed, desperate.

"Alright, why don't we start tutoring then?" Renee suggested.

"Do we have to?" John groaned.

"John, you said anything," Renee laughed.

John groaned, "Okay, fine, but don't tell anyone that I actually wanted to do math. The only reason I want to do math is because this is really messing me. Seriously freaking me out! Hey, I thought you said, you'd distract me!"

"Alright, alright," Renee laughed. "Why don't we just work through your homework and I'll help you if you have any questions.

"Okay," John said, still traumatized by what he had almost walked in on.

* * *

><p>"So how did you find this place anyways?" Greer asked, dipping a French fry into her milkshake and then eating it.<p>

"Is that actually good?" Cole asked.

"What? Oh, this? Yeah, it's delicious!" Greer replied, pushing her milkshake filled cup towards Cole. "Here, try it."

"My cousin, John, always does this and it always seemed really gross," Cole hesitated.

"Oh, come on! Where's your sense of adventure? Haha, I love how this is adventurous," Greer coaxed, with a small laugh.

"I guess," Cole said, picking up one of his fries and dipping it into the milkshake. He bit into the fry and then let his taste buds deliberate. "Not too bad. And to answer your question, this place you used to be a café called "The Falcon" and a family friend of ours used to run it. She sold it after she retired though and moved to Florida. We started coming to the diner here but it just wasn't the same. I like it though and it seemed like a good place to go after practice today."

"I like it," Greer nodded. "It's a really cool place though. It used to be an old firehouse, right?"

"Yeah. Our family friend and her son used to live upstairs and everything. I guess you could say I'm sentimental… whatever, sue me," Cole shrugged.

Greer laughed, "No, it makes sense. It sounds like you practically grew up in this place. I wish I had a place like that but being on the road all the time is a bitch. You don't exactly have the luxury to get attached." Cole felt bad for Greer. She sounded like she just wanted a place to belong but since she moved around so much, there was no way for her to really do that. "It amazes me that your dad happened to get the whole apple pie life thing in the end. Most hunters don't even make it out to have that."

"How do you know so much about my dad and my uncle anyways?" Cole asked, curiously.

"During my dad's hunting years everyone knew who the Winchesters were. Hell, most of the demons out there were looking for them, leviathans too, and-," Greer started.

"Hold on. What's a leviathan?" Cole asked.

Greer chuckled, "Right. I forgot that you don't really hunt. They're God's very first beasts. They were liked away in purgatory until a friend of your dad's unleashed them. That wasn't their fault this time, though. It was definitely the friend's fault."

"Huh," Cole sounded.

"But anyways, everyone knew the Winchester. Well, that and your dad and mine crossed paths a couple of times in their hunting days," Greer said. She paused for a moment, afraid that she had said too much, but then resumed her actions.

"It's just weird because I feel like you know more about my family than I do," Cole admitted.

"Oh. Your dad never… told you about all of this stuff?" Greer asked.

Cole shook his head, "Well, it's not exactly a perfect bed time story. They wanted to keep us out of the life. I know the basics, but I've never been out on a hunt and I don't train like my cousins do. My parents don't want me in it and since I don't have to be, they try to keep us away from it as much as possible."

"Huh," Greer said.

"What about yours, if you don't mind me asking?" Cole said.

"I was raised by my dad," Greer said, shrugging it off. She wasn't in the mood for a pity party. She didn't want Cole to feel sorry for her. She hated feeling weak and vulnerable like that but that was because she was taught to always be strong.

"Yeah?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, we don't really know where my mom is. She left at an early age. She and my dad were always fighting and uh, well, one day she just never came back. My dad uh… he died four years ago, ironically, from a heart attack and not from hunting. It's just me and my brother now. He started hunting alone but he came back when dad died," Greer admitted, getting quieter.

"I'm so sorry," Cole said, reaching out to her.

"It's fine. I probably shouldn't have dropped a bomb like that on you," Greer said, retreating.

"No, no, it's alright. If you ever need to talk, I'm here," Cole offered.

"Don't worry, Cole. You don't need to be my therapist," Greer said, rolling her eyes a little.

"Right," Cole said. He was just trying to be nice and she was getting all defensive. He didn't get it.

"Sorry," Greer said. She hated feeling all open and vulnerable so she always got defensive when she felt that way. She hated that pushed people away, but she couldn't help herself. Whenever she left people in, it never turned out well.

"No, it's okay," Cole said, starting to understand her more. He saw it too – how she hated feeling vulnerable.

"Look, I should get going but can we do this more often? It's nice having a friend," Greer asked, softly.

"Yeah," Cole nodded, a warm smile on his face.

"Okay. I'll uh, just pay up at the register. I'll see you tomorrow, Cole," Greer said.

"You too," Cole replied. What the hell had just happened?

* * *

><p>"My sister used to have this stupid purple bike and there was one time where she fell off and got all scraped up. Then we got in trouble for trying to play baseball. Oh, those were the days," John sighed.<p>

Renee laughed, "No, that was me!"

"What? No!" John exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was. I was the one who rode the purple bike, not your sister," Renee reminded. "And that bike was not stupid!"

"Oh yeah, she had the red bike," John said. "Oh, yeah."

"Yeah, so then after I fell off my bike and your dad patched me up, we got busted for breaking the flower pot after we were attempting to play baseball. I can't believe you forgot this! I don't think I'd ever seen you so humiliated in your life!" Renee said.

"Oh my God, I do remember this. We were in sooo much trouble. I thought my mom was going to kill me," John reminisced.

"We always got into trouble together. I blame you for it," Renee declared.

"What? Me! That was not my fault," John defended.

"It so was! It wasn't for your bad aim-," Renee started.

"What? So now you're going to criticize my aim? Geez, you know, a guy's ego can only take so many blows before it's finally crushed," John chuckled.

"Hey, you could used some," Renee replied.

"What? Some blows," John smirked.

"Not like that! I meant your ego, seeing as every other girl shameless builds it up," Renee answered.

"Well you don't, but I guess that's because you're not every other girl," John said. Renee stared at him long and hard before beginning to laugh.

"Did you just use a line on me?" Renee asked, laughing.

"Yeah, so what if I did?" John shrugged.

"Hey, I thought we-, damn it. You never promised that you wouldn't try to make a move," Renee swore.

"Damn straight," John bragged. Just then, Meredith came into the room.

"Hey, your father and I just finished dinner. Renee, you're welcome to stay if you'd like," Meredith offered. John and Renee exchanged glances and John kind of nodded, as if he was into the idea. Renee hesitated. If she stayed for dinner, would the family think something? Then again, she was a family friend so maybe they wouldn't.

"I-, I guess I could," Renee stammered, like a deer in the headlights.

"Great!" Meredith smiled, before disappearing back downstairs.

"Is that okay?" Renee asked John.

"Yeah. I was hoping you would," John smiled.

"John," Renee said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah?" John asked.

Renee opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. Renee was getting sick of John's empty lines but if he really did mean it, then she wasn't even quite sure how she felt about that. What if he really was flirting with her because he liked her. Was that even possible? Would she even want that? Renee questioned if she could really trust John again but she had to admit that she did like the flirting... She had always had a thing for him, but when they were kids, it's not like that stuff actually mattered.

"Never mind," Renee muttered. "We should head downstairs though."


	10. Friday Night Lights

Author's Note: Alright, LONG chapter ahead! Sorry i haven't really been updating The Only Exception. I keep meaning too but I'm OBSESSED with this story. I have big plans for it ;). Please enjoy this super, duper long chapter. Happy reading!

* * *

><p>Friday morning came and the whole school was buzzing with excitement for the first football game of the year. Renee stood at her locker, taking out her textbook and holding it in her arm.<p>

"Hey," John said, coming over to her.

"Hey," she greeted, shooting him a friendly smile. She laughed, seeing John's locker door. "It looks like a Bengal tiger threw up all over your locker… and then threw up all over it again."

"Oh this? Yeah… you know the cheerleaders decorate the team's lockers on game days. It's… kind of stupid, isn't it?" John asked.

"Yeah," Renee said.

"What's up?" John asked, changing the subject.

"Not much. You excited for the big game tonight?" Renee asked, casually.

"Yeah, I guess," John shrugged.

"What?" Renee asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" John asked back, looking around.

"You've got that look on your face when you want to say something but you're not going to because you're afraid someone's going to make fun of you," Renee replied simply. John shot her a funny look and she returned another one. "Oh come on! You used to make that all the time when we were kids."

"I can't believe you still remember my looks," John said, perplexed.

Renee shrugged, "We were best friends then and, well, you haven't changed much since then."

"What? I have to," John declared.

Renee chuckled, "Well yeah… now you have the maturity of a twelve year old," she teased.

"You better watch that mouth of yours, Walsh," John warned, playfully, moving closer to her.

"Oh yeah? What're you going to do about it?" Renee challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There are a lot of things I'd like to do,," John smirked.

"Ew, John!" Renee exclaimed, hitting him playfully.

"Hey, watch the arm. I've got a big game tonight," John exclaimed, rubbing his arm. She actually had hit pretty hard.

"So you were saying… you know, that thing you were not going to tell me, that now you are going to tell me," Renee said, pulling away from him and shutting her locker.

"Oh… yeah, I don't really want to talk about it right now," John said, scratching the back of his head, attempting to avoid the current subject.

"Oh come on, John. We used to tell each other everything," Renee said back.

"I-, I don't know… I'm a little nervous, that's all. Okay?" John admitted

"Why? What do you have to be nervous about?" Renee asked, in disbelief. She always thought John's ego was so big so to see him second guessing himself was so strange for him.

"I don't know… what if I fuck it all up?" John asked.

"You won't," Renee comforted.

"John, what're you doing?" they both heard a voice ask. John and Renee sprang apart, only to find Jamie standing in the hallway right in front of them. She had a sneer on her face as she looked at Renee. She returned her glance to John, a fake smile plastered to her face. She sauntered over to John, tilting her head to the side in a flirtatious manner. "I thought you were going to meet me by my first period class."

"Oh, was I? Sorry, I guess I forgot about that," John said, almost mumbling it to himself.

"That's cool. Good luck at your big game tonight," Jamie said, pulling him in for a big, showy kiss, with tongue. Renee averted her eyes, uncomfortably.

"Jamie, what're you doing?" John asked, pulling away.

"Hey, I should get going. I'll uh, see you around, John," Renee mumbled, quickly hurrying in the other direction. Jamie looked Renee's way, a satisfied smirk on her face. She turned back to John to see John looking at her with a questioning look on his face.

"What was that all about?" John asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to wish you luck. That's all. Do you like what I did with your locker?" Jamie asked back, changing the subject quickly.

"Uh… yeah… it's… bright," John stammered, trying to find the right words to describe his locker.

"The Bengal tigers are our mascot, John. We have to stick with their colors since they're our team colors," Jamie replied.

John coughed, "Uh yeah. Yeah, it's great."

"Thanks," Jamie smiled, content with herself. "Are you going to Chris' party after the game?" Jamie asked.

"Um, I don't know," John said, watching as Renee walked down the hall, eager to get away from John and Jamie. He wished she could've stayed longer.

He wished that Jamie hadn't interrupted them. He loved being with Renee and ever since they had reconnected, he couldn't stop thinking about her. When funny things happened, he wanted to tell her about it. His family loved her too. He liked when she stayed for dinner after their first tutoring session because he saw how well she fit into his life. Not that he was even thinking about that right now… John was the relationship type. That's what Jamie was so good for him, right? And God, Renee was hot. He had lost count of the many times that his mind wandered where it shouldn't be. He hated that he sounded like such a girl, but it was true. Snap out of it, John. Come on! He thought to himself.

"John? John, what is up with you today?" Jamie asked. What she had meant was what was up with him all week. John had been weirdly distant all week and now he was even worse.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" John asked back, finally snapping out of it.

"I was just talking about Chris' party," Jamie replied.

"Oh, yeah. I don't know. Maybe," John said.

"Okay," Jamie replied, trying to hide her frustration.

"I've got to get going. See you later though," John said, before parting from her.

"You too," Jamie said back, not hiding her disappointment as John walked down the hall, away from her. Jealousy burned inside her. Ever since John started hanging out with this Renee girl again, he had been so distant. Jamie wandered whether Renee really was a threat to her? Guess so.

Down the hall, Cole was walking towards his first class as soon as he spotted light brown, wavy hair paired with that all too familiar black leather jacket. Cole jogged over to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. He was about to say something, when the girl whipped around and threw a punch in his direction. Cole ducked and her eyes widened as she stood up and saw who it was. A blush ran across her cheeks and she chuckled, embarrassed.

"Hi. I'm so sorry… it's just out of habit," Greer replied.

Cole chuckled, "It's fine. I understand. I just say you and figured I'd come say hi. Wasn't quite expecting that."

"Again, sorry," Greer blushed.

"Again, it's okay," Cole repeated. They both shared another laugh before beginning to walk together.

"So how are you?" Greer asked, still reeling from what had just happened. She felt bad that she had almost punched Cole but was glad that he had good enough reflexes to dodge her before she actually did hit him.

"I'm well. How about you?" Cole asked. He didn't want her to feel embarrassed but he knew by the color of her complexion that she was still flushed.

"Fine, thanks," Greer answered. "Hey, don't you guys have some big game today?"

"Oh, yeah. How'd you know about that? Sorry. I hope you don't take offense to this, but you just don't really seem to be, well, you know… the school spirit type," Cole started, anxiously. He hoped she didn't take it the wrong way. He was relieved when she didn't.

"Me? Oh, no. No! You've definitely got that right. I am not the school spirit type. No, I mean, I pay attention. Besides, it looks like a Bengal tiger's thrown up all over this place. Could this school have chosen more obnoxious colors? I mean, orange and black?" Greer asked.

Cole chuckled, "Well, they're also the same colors as Halloween, which I guess is pretty fun."

Greer shook her head, "Not in my family. Every day is Halloween so after a while, it starts to get pretty old."

"Right," Cole coughed. This time it was his turn to feel embarrassed. He hadn't even thought about the fact that every day was Halloween for her.

"Look, it's cool," Greer said, picking up on Cole's awkwardness.

"So you thinking about coming to the game tonight?" Cole asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I thought about it," Greer shrugged.

"And?" Cole asked.

"And what?" Greer asked back with a small laugh.

"You only thought about it? You should come! It's our first game of the season and everything… it'll be fun. Everyone always gets so excited and everything," Cole said.

Greer hesitated, "I don't know. It's not really my thing. Besides, aren't football games supposed be things you go with your friends to?"

"I'll be there and we're friends, right?" Cole replied.

"I-," Greer started. She smiled at that. Yeah, they were friends. "I mean, you're playing though."

"Yeah, but my whole family will be there. I mean, I have a little sister and brother but John's on the team so the cousins are coming too, and even family friends of ours. I'm sure they'd be glad to sit with you," Cole suggested, perking up at the idea himself.

"I don't know. That would be weird. I don't even know them!" Greer exclaimed.

"My family loves meeting new people. Besides… wait, you have Mer-, I mean, Mrs. Winchester for English right?" Cole asked.

"Yeah," Greer answered.

"She's my aunt and she's a total badass. She'd love you. Just… thinking about some more, okay?" Cole asked.

"Okay," Greer blushed. She wasn't used to this kind of persistence. No one had ever wanted her to go a football game so badly in her entire life. No one had invited her to meet their family or even wanted to spend time with her like that in her entire life. She liked the feeling. She felt wanted… and hell, she loved feeling wanted by a guy as hot as Cole. "Yeah, I'll thinking about it a little more, but I'm not making any promises, okay?"

"Okay," Cole smiled.

* * *

><p>Later that night, at the football game, all of the Winchesters and Walshes had gathered to watch the game, taking up a good portion of the center of the bleachers.<p>

"Hey, I hope we didn't miss too much," Kitty Gallagher said, as they found their neighbors sitting on the bleachers and watching the game.

"Oh, you're just in time. Comes it with us," Meredith invited, warmly.

Bryan and Kitty filed in, sitting next to where Meredith and Dean sat, while the Gallagher kids sat with the twins. Paige sat down next to Flynn on his left side, kissing him on the cheek softly, while Tyler sat next to Victoria, in between Flynn and her.

"Hey, you," Paige smiled.

"Hey, glad you made it," Flynn smiled back, his fingers intertwining with hers as they held hands.

"What's the score?" she asked.

"It's one to zero. We're winning," Flynn said.

"By one point," Tyler mumbled to himself.

Victoria laughed, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

"Hey, where's your team spirit guys?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah, guys!" Paige added. They then exchanged glances and shared another couple-y laugh. Victoria and Flynn exchanged glances, rolling their eyes.

"Ooh, that looks like it hurts," Tyler gasped, watching as one of the team members wiped out on the field in the middle of the play.

"Woah, this game is actually getting good now," Victoria said, turning to watch the game. She leaned her elbow on her lap, watching the game more comfortably. Flynn and Paige exchanged glances.

"Is it just me or-," Flynn began.

"No, I totally get it. It'll happen soon," Paige completed, practically reading his thoughts.

"Hey, I'm going to get something to drink. Does anyone want anything?" Haley offered, coming down the bleachers that the twins were sitting on. She had previously been sitting up on the bleacher above them, just talking to her mom.

"Oh, do you mind getting me a water?" Flynn asked.

"Sure," Haley replied.

"Alright, let's go!" Jackson, Haley's younger brother, urged. "But we have to quickly because I don't want to miss anything. What if someone makes a touchdown and I miss it?"

"Okay, okay. I'll be back, guys," Haley said, smiling politely before hurrying off with her brother to go buy some waters for everyone.

"You seem to be really into football these days, kiddo," Haley noticed as she and her younger brother walked together.

"Hey, only Mom can call me 'kiddo'!" Jackson protested.

"What? Cole calls you 'kiddo' all the time!" Haley said back.

"Yeah, but Cole is sixteen. You're only fourteen meaning you're only two years older than me," Jackson argued back.

"Yeah, but I'm still older than you. Come on, kiddo," Haley said, ruffling her little brother's hair up and shepherding him towards the concessions stand.

"Hey!" Jackson protested, trying to fix his hair but Haley only laughed as they both walked further. They got the concessions stand and waited in line behind a couple of people. She couldn't imagine what this line was like during halftime.

"You never answered my question. What is it with you these days? Whenever there's a game on, you're there. You can't wait to get back to watch the games here. I mean… I hate to break it to you, but our football team isn't that good," Haley started.

"I want to play football like Cole and John," Jackson admitted simply.

"Hey, who's saying our team's not that great?" a voice asked. A guy turned around to face Haley and Jackson.

"Me," Haley replied, sassily.

"And who might you be?" the guy asked back. Haley gave the guy a good look. He had dark hair and dark brown eyes. He was tall and had tan skin. He was cute – there was no denying that.

"A girl who knows her football," Haley said back.

"Oh yeah?" the guy asked, intrigued by the dark haired beauty that stood before him. She wasn't afraid of a little challenge either. This girl had spunk.

"Yeah," Haley answered.

"Fine. Who won the first Super Bowl game?" the guy asked, interested to see if she got it right.

Haley smiled smugly, "Easy. Green Bay Packers. Bart Starr was named MVP."

"Year?" the guy asked.

"'67," Haley answered. She always remembered that one easily since her uncle's car was a '67 Chevy Impala and she loved that car.

The guy whistled, "Seems like you do know your stuff. I'm Owen Whitt" He offered out his hand for a handshake.

"Haley Winchester," Haley replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

"It's a pleasure meeting you, Haley," Owen smiled, finally letting Haley's hand go. He then turned around. "Yeah, I'll just get two sodas. Thanks." The woman at the counter went to fill up some paper cups with soda and Owen turned back to her. "You here all by yourself?"

"No, this is my little brother, Jackson. We're all here with our parents. My brother's on the teams and so is my cousins so his family's here too," Haley replied.

"Well, sounds like you've got yourself a lot of company. It's too bad. I was going to ask you to join a buddy of mine and I. We're both on the JV team," Owen answered.

"Oh, so's my cousin," Haley replied.

"Oh yeah? Winchester… Flynn, right?" Owen asked.

"That would be him," Haley answered.

"Your sodas are up," the lady at the counter said. Owen turned around, took them in his hands and then turned back to Haley.

"Hope I see you around, Haley. It was nice meeting you," he said.

"You too," Haley replied, hesitantly. She wasn't even quite sure what had just happened. She had just impressed a guy with her football knowledge and now she was pretty sure he was hitting on her. It was weird, and she was starting to think that she liked it. The guy walked away and Haley just watched as he went, still trying to process it all.

"I think that guy likes you," Jackson said, bluntly.

Haley laughed, "Jackson, your guess is as good as mine. Come on. Let's get back. You don't want to miss anything, do you?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jackson said. Haley bought the bottled waters and then she and Jackson headed back to the bleachers.

"How's seventh grade? Treating you right?" Haley asked.

"Yeah. My social studies teacher is kind of scary though. She's this crazy new teacher…" Jackson admitted.

"What? Like 'Mom lost her glasses' scary or 'Dad freaking out at Uncle Dean' scary?" Haley asked.

"Definitely 'Dad freaking out at Uncle Dean' scary," Jackson replied.

"Ouch. Well, you like social studies. Focus on the actual work instead of your crazy, angry teacher," Haley advised.

"Yeah… I don't know. Hahah that's the perfect way to describe it. Dad does get really angry when he freaks out at Uncle Dean," Jackson chuckled. Haley and Jackson finally reached the bleachers. Haley gave a water bottle to Flynn and handed one up to her mother.

"Hey, Flynn, do you know an Owen Whitt?" Haley asked.

"Yeah. What about him?" Flynn shrugged.

"He's hot for Haley," Jackson chimed in.

"Jackson!" Haley exclaimed, widening her eyes at him.

"Sorry, but it's true. They met in the concessions line just now and he was all over her," Jackson said, making kissy faces.

"Jackson, stop!" Haley exclaimed, shocked at Jackson's wild behavior. She hit him playfully. "It wasn't like that at all. I-, I said something about our football team not being that good and then he kinda challenged me to a football knowledge thing and-."

"And you kicked his ass at it, right?" Flynn asked, an amused chuckled escaping his lips.

"Yes!" Jackson exclaimed.

Haley laughed, "I guess you could say that."

Flynn shrugged, "He's a pretty cool guy. We talk sometimes. But if he said something to you and you need me to kick his ass-."

"No, that's won't be necessary," Haley said. Flynn shot her a look and then looked over at Jackson.

"Hey, you might be on to something here, Jackson, only I think you're sister's hot for him too," Flynn teased.

"What? No! I just met the guy!" Haley exclaimed.

Victoria rolled her eyes, "Haley, do not listen to my dork of a brother. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Thank you!" Haley exclaimed.

"But if you are hot for him, I want details," Victoria whispered, leaning over Tyler so that she could talk to her cousin.

"Not you too," Haley groaned.

"Alright, I think the girl's had enough," Tyler chimed in.

"You're right," Victoria sighed, sitting up straight.

"Aren't I always?" Tyler teased.

"Shut up," Victoria mumbled. Tyler returned his attention back to the game and Haley took that as a chance to glance over at Victoria. She widened her eyes and nodded towards Tyler before giving Victoria a thumbs up. Victoria made a signal to cut it out just as Tyler looking back at her. Tyler looked from Haley to Victoria and then shook his head, laughing.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get this family," Tyler chuckled.

"Good. It leaves an air of a mystery to us," Haley joked before she and Victoria burst into another fit of laughter.

* * *

><p>Greer spotted the normal crew of kids that Cole always sat with at lunch. During lunch, Greer usually just grabbed a good book and searched for a quiet place to be but she had every now and then, popped into the cafeteria and seen the people that Cole was with. He was always with that group. She could see the age differences and assumed it was his family. She was right. She stood there for a moment, before starting to walk away.<p>

"Hey," she heard a voice say. She turned around to see a petite girl with dark hair standing behind her.

"Hi," Greer said back.

"You're my brother's friend, right? I see you guys together a lot. I saw you sitting by yourself and wanted to know if you wanted to come join us or something," Haley invited.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impose," Greer started.

"It's really up to you, but you wouldn't be imposing at all," Haley said.

"You sure?" Greer asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Haley chuckled. "Come on. You don't want to miss the game."

"Thanks," Greer said. She went over to sit with their family and she was amazed at how welcoming and kind Cole and his family were. She mainly just talked to Haley. They talked a lot about music since they had a lot of bands in common. She was perplexed at how welcoming the Winchesters were, especially after the stories she had heard from her dad and from her brother. Then again, her brother always blindly believed whatever their father said. She was starting to think they were so wrong about the Winchesters.

* * *

><p>After the game, the Sioux Falls Bengal tigers had won and everyone was congratulating their team. It was the first game and first win of the season! All of the Winchesters and Walshes were down on the field, congratulating Cole and John.<p>

"You came!" Cole exclaimed, surprised.

"Oh… yeah," Greer answered.

"I'm glad," Cole said back.

"Thanks," Greer replied, not knowing exactly what else to say back. This was going against everything she had ever learned. Don't get to close. Don't get attached. Don't let anyone in. Don't trust anyone, especially anyone with the last name Winchester. Yet here she was. God, if her father could see her now, he'd freak! She had enjoyed her talk with Haley on the bleachers earlier. This whole thing was making her nervous. Her brother would freak if he knew the company she was in. She knew she had to get out of there quickly. "I've got to go so I'll see you at school on Monday or something."

"Wait, where are you-," Cole started.

"I'm sorry, but I should go," Greer answered. "Thanks though. Your family is really kind."

"Greer, is something wrong?" Cole asked, worriedly.

"Kind of… I mean, no. Nothing's wrong. I've got to go," she said, before hurrying off, leaving Cole speechless.

"We're proud of you, son," Sam said, as he and Sawyer came over to greet their son. Cole scanned the crowd for Greer, but she was gone. There was nothing he could do right now but pretend that nothing was wrong. Was there even anything wrong.

"Thanks," Cole said, forcing a smile on his face, as he hugged both of his parents.

"Hey, don't stay out too late, okay? Curfew is at one thirty," Meredith reminded.

"I know, Mom," John groaned. Then again, he couldn't complain. His parents were pretty lenient when it came to staying out late. Most parents only let their kids stay out till 12.

"Come on, babe. Let's leave him alone. He wants to go celebrate with his friends," Dean said, wrapping his arm around his wife and kissing her gently.

"Woah, guys! Can't you not do that here?" John asked, shielding his eyes.

Meredith chuckled, "Bye, you goofball."

"Bye, Mom," John said, laughing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Renee and her younger sister, walking away. "I'll see you later guys. I promise I'll be back by one!" John sprinted towards Renee, grabbing her by the shoulder as she spun around, alarmed by the contact.

"Oh my God, you scared me!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," John chuckled.

"Good game. Congrats," Renee said.

"Oh, thanks," John smiled.

Renee turned to her sister, Iz, "Hey, I'll meet you in the car, okay? I'm parked really close but be careful." She handed her sister the keys and Iz took them, mumbling something, before walking away. Renee turned back to John.

"Listen, do you want to hang out?" John asked, mustering up all the nerve he had. He never got nervous when it came to girls but with Renee, it was different. He knew he could sweet talk most girls, turn on the charm, and they'd say yes in an instant, but with Renee, well, there was the possibility that she would say no.

"What?" Renee asked, caught off guard.

"I don't know. I just thought we could do something besides tutoring. I mean, we get so off topic anyways and when we got a burger that other time you didn't seem like it was torture and… I don't know. Just thought we could hang out," John rambled.

"I-," Renee started. She examined the nervous look on John's face and was surprised that she made him nervous at all. Wasn't John the over confident lady killer that everyone that he was? "When?"

"I don't know… whenever. Now?" John suggested.

Renee opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. She wanted to say yes but she couldn't help but think back to the awkward encounter with Jamie this morning. Of course he was still seeing her. Like he would actually dump her for Renee. Renee hated that she even thought that that was a possibility, "Look, I… I don't think that would be a good idea. I think maybe we should just stick to tutoring for now."

"Wh-," John started.

"Look, my sister's waiting in the car for me. I've got to go, John," Renee started, desperate to get away from him. If she let him get another word out, she knew he'd convince her to go with him, but she couldn't do that because she was starting to develop a crush on him and she knew that would only lead to heartbreak. Hanging out with him would only make her want him more and that was the last thing that she wanted to happen.

"Okay," John said flatly, not bothering to hide his disappointment.

"Sorry," Renee mumbled, before turning her back on him, and walking away. "Shit," she mumbled to herself. She got to her car and sat in the driver's seat, letting a sigh escape her lips.

"You okay?" Iz asked her older sister. Renee seemed distressed.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go home, okay?" Renee asked.

"Sure," Iz replied, still a little worried for her big sister.

* * *

><p>John ended up going to Chris' party that night. He just wanted to get his mind off of Renee. Everything had been so much simpler two weeks ago, when he hadn't reconnected with her. He was having fun with Jamie and he was careless. Now, he couldn't stop stressing about her. He knew he had feelings for her but she was constantly putting his wall between them. John had tried all of his moves but yet she brushed them off to being a joke or something. It would be simpler to just stick with Jamie and then in a week, find something else, but he was starting wonder whether that's what he wanted.<p>

"Hey, you," Jamie said. "Glad you came to the party. It wouldn't have been much of a party if you hadn't."

"Yeah, guess not, huh?" John asked back, cockily.

"Listen, it just so happens that there's a spare bedroom upstairs. Most of them were taken the minute people got here but uh, I pulled some strings and got one," Jamie started, batting her eyes at John. She was hot and she wanted him. That's all he needed right now. "And I've got some condoms in my purse. You game?"

"Yeah," John smirked.

"Cool," Jamie said, taking his hand and leading him upstairs.

_She wants you, dude. Renee doesn't. Stop thinking about her for one night and let yourself have a little fun. You deserve it after the game tonight, damn it! You're not the relationship kind of guy and you never will be so just fuck around for the next couple of months. You'll forget about Renee,_ John kept repeating to himself, but it was useless.


	11. The Risk Takers and Heartbreakers

Author's Note: For all of those John/Renee fans, this is a strictly John/Renee chapter. Whooo!

* * *

><p>The next morning, John woke up in his own bed, at his own house and just stared at the ceiling. He swallowed hard, thinking about what happened last night. He couldn't fight this guilty feeling that he had. Why the hell was he feeling guilty? He wasn't in a relationship with either of these girls but yet he felt like he was cheating on Renee. He felt kind of bad for Jamie, because he felt like it was possible he was just using her, but then again, that's what they decided on: fun. This was not a relationship.<p>

John changed quickly before going to brush his teeth and hair. He hurried downstairs to see his whole family already at the breakfast table.

"Hey, where you going so early?" Dean asked, seeing his son.

"I've got to go see a friend. I think I really messed up, Dad," John replied.

His father gave John a look but knew not to ask since John seemed like he was in such a hurry, "Alright. When will you be back?"

"I don't know. Probably soon. Sorry," John mumbled, grabbing his coat and putting it on. He grabbed the keys to the Camero, and then hurrying out to the car. John turned on the radio, rolled down the windows and put on the classic rock station. It was a nice day and he was going to sort things out for himself. He pulled up at the house he had been to several times and parked at the side. He jogged up to the front of the door and knocked, waiting on the porch anxiously.

"John?" Renee asked. John turned around to see Renee.

"Hi, shouldn't you be-," John started.

"I went for a walk," Renee answered. "What're you doing here?"

"I just wanted to come talk…" John said.

"Is everything okay?" Renee asked. She wanted to be a good friend for John but she didn't want to let him like she had been doing before. It was just too hard not to fall for him now.

"I sure hope so. I-, I want to ask you something," John started.

"Okay, shoot," Renee answered. What the hell did he want to ask her? Renee felt uncomfortable about all of this.

"Are we okay?" John asked.

Renee just stared at him for a moment before answering, "Uh, yeah, why wouldn't we be?"

"I don't know. Last night at the game you just seemed kinda… I don't know," John stammered, looking down and just shaking his head. He was used to being a smooth talker but with Renee he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to say anything wrong and his old lines never worked on her.

"Is this about when you asked me to hang out?" Renee asked, concerned.

"No! I mean, yeah, maybe a little, but no. It's just, I thought we were doing so well, you know?" John stammered, blushing at his disjointed response.

"Oh," Renee said, looking down.

"Oh?" John asked.

"I mean… what was that, John?" Renee asked.

"I-, I don't know. Our not-date went so well. Thought a real date wouldn't be so bad this time," John replied.

"John, I like you, I do and being friends with you again has been… good," she started. Good, being an understatement but she shook it off and moved on. "But, I saw the way that Jamie looked at me yesterday when we were together and… I don't know. She's your girlfriend and I don't think it would be a good idea if you and I-."

"Hold on. Jamie's not my girlfriend!" John interjected.

Renee sighed, "Well, whatever she is, you guys are… involved. I don't want to get in the middle of things and I definitely can't handle any drama this year. There was… way too much last so, am I making any sense here? Sorry."

"No, I get it," John replied. John knew what he had to do then. He had to figure out what the hell he actually wanted because he was starting to realize that he couldn't have both of these girls. "We're friends, though, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Renee replied.

"Well what if we just amended that. We'd hang out as friends? You know, not a date and not even a not-date," John asked.

Renee sighed, "John…"

"What?" John asked.

"I-," Renee started. "I don't know. This weekend is pretty busy for me. I've got a thing today and-."

"You had a thing last Saturday!" John exclaimed, shooting her a look.

"I'm busy, okay? I don't know if this weekend works," Renee said.

"Well then next weekend. Saturday's good for me. Or even Friday," John suggested, hopeful. If he got to spend time with her one on one without having to focus on math or anything, he hoped he'd get a better idea of what he wanted.

"Again, I've got at thing Saturday and on Friday I'm volunteering at the elementary school for their book fair. Sorry," Renee admitted.

John just looked at her for a moment. He couldn't tell whether she was going out on dates, actually had a thing, or was just making excuses to get out of hanging out with him.

"Okay," John said, admitting defeat. "So tutoring next Wednesday?"

"Sure. I found this really nice café overlooking the Sioux Falls River if you're into it," Renee suggested.

"Sure," John nodded.

"Cool. I'll see you later then," Renee said.

"Yeah, you too," John replied, beginning to leave. Renee walked up the steps to her front porch before looking back once. John was still walking towards his car. Renee took a deep breath. _It was for the best. Don't spoil a good thing for him. He and Jamie are just having fun and that's what he wants. Don't mess that up for him, _she thought to herself, before continuing her path towards her house and going inside.

LINEBREAK

**Two Weeks Later…**

It was a Tuesday afternoon and Renee and John were tutoring at the same café that they had been at since last week. It was a really nice September day and they were enjoying the weather.

Renee giggled, "No, here let me show you." She grabbed the pencil out of John's hands and flipped to a clean page of notebook paper. "If you ever get tripped up on these graphs there's an easier way to remember those. For those of us that don't want to sit down and memorize them, you can just create an x and y table for them. It makes things so much easier to see the other graphs once you have the basic parent functions down."

"Oh, okay. Mind if I try?" John asked.

"No, not at all," Renee replied, handing him the notebook and pencil that she had stolen from him.

John and Renee worked for a little while longer. John did his math homework while Renee read her English assignment and helped John if he had any questions. That's usually how tutoring worked. Then they'd get all sidetracked.

Renee kept reminding herself of the conversation that she and John had had two Saturdays ago. They were friends, just friends, but even after the conversation, there was still this undeniable chemistry between them. The flirty didn't stop; it had only gotten more. John hadn't said anything about Jamie, but she hadn't seen him with her very much. She chastised herself for even thinking about it and returned to her book, trying to distract herself.

_Damn it, I just read the same sentence five times. Why can't I focus? _Renee thought to herself. She looked up from her book and looked at John. He was so into the work he was doing; so focused. It was rather cute. When he got focused, he always got this little look on his face that Renee couldn't help but smile at. _Damn it. I've got it bad, don't I_? Renee asked herself.

"Hey, do you-," John began to ask and Renee quickly buried herself behind the book again. "Do you have an extra eraser?" John shot her a funny look. Why was she acting so weird all of a sudden?

"Oh, yeah, here," Renee replied, handing him the eraser.

"Thanks," John smiled, casually. "This is pretty cool place. I like the water." He glanced over the railing to see the rushing rapids of Sioux Falls river below them.

"That's what I like most about it," Renee smiled.

"You the place up the street?" John asked.

"Yeah, Utopia or something?" Renee asked back.

"Yeah. We went in there once when we were younger and Mom told us that she and Dad went there the night they got engaged," John started. Renee was a little suspicious. Why was he bringing that up? She shook it off, quickly responding to John.

"Your parents are a freaking fairy tale," Renee chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What?" John exclaimed, shooting Renee a strange glance.

"Well, you've got the bad things like demons and witches and shit, but then there's the whole love prevails thing going on too. I mean, my parents had the normal relationship troubles, but your mom and dad had hunting, the whole Dean dying thing, and so much more. It amazes me really," Renee admitted.

"Yeah, they really love each other… which unfortunately saw about two weeks ago on my living room floor. I mean, come on, guys! You can't even make it to the bedroom?" John complained.

Renee laughed, "Oh God! I think you're going to be scarred for life after that. Sorry, but I still get a kick out of it but they're not my parents. I think if I caught my parents having sex, I'd be scarred for life too." She drank some of her water before putting it back down on the table that they sat at, outdoors.

John shook his head, "My parents… they're crazy, aren't they?"

"Yeah, just a little," Renee chuckled.

"Here, you can have your eraser back," John said, handing it to Renee, but before she could take it, it dropped to the ground. "Damn it. I'll get it."

"No it's okay, I'll-," Rene started, as they both bent down to get the eraser. They both reached for it, their hands touching. Renee felt like a spark had shot up her arm and she and John both exchanged glances. "Um." John didn't say anything but this, right here… for the past two weeks they'd been tutoring and spending a lot of time together in school and although it was a scary thing to think about, he was really starting to think that this was what he wanted.

"I-," John started. Out of panic, he quickly reached for the eraser and straightened up. "Right. Hey, do you think you could help me with number 20?"

"Sure," Renee said, scooting closer to see his math book.

She read over the problem and John looked at her. Damn, she was hot. Her hair was curly today and he liked it. She had a sweet smile and a good heart and John loved that about her. She was funny too and they always ended up laughing together. He had fun with her. And those lips… countless amounts of times he had thought about kissing her. Just… what it would be like. They were old childhood friends so would it be weird or would it be amazing?

"John, are you paying any attention?" Renee asked, looking over at him.

"Wha- yeah! Sorry, can you say that again?" John asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

Renee chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully, "Yes, now you promised you'd focus today!"

"I am, sorry," John chuckled, trying to distract himself with math. The only problem was that it was Renee teaching it to him, so it's not like he'd be able stop thinking about her.

* * *

><p>The next day, Wednesday morning came and John was heading to lunch when Jamie came over. He hadn't been talking to her as much ever since he and Renee talk those two Saturdays ago, because he was still trying to figure out what he wanted.<p>

"Hey, can I talk to you?" Jamie asked.

"Sure," John replied. He stopped and pulled her over to the side of the hall so that they could talk.

"Can I ask you about something?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah," John answered.

"What's going on with you and Renee Walsh?" Jamie asked. That certainly caught John off guard.

"What do you mean?" John asked back.

"I mean, I've been hearing some things…" Jamie trailed off.

"What kind of things?" John asked, anxiously. He hoped that people weren't spreading rumors about them, especially for Renee's sake. He remembered what she said about not needing any drama and he didn't want to screw things up for her.

"People are saying that they see you two together all the time at school, and Tracy saw you two together at the café overlooking the river… and you've been kind of distant. Look, John, if you don't want to do this anymore, you should just tell me, okay? There are plenty of guys that would die to be with me and I'm not going to waste my time with someone who doesn't want me," Jamie said, forcefully.

"Jamie, look, it's not like that," John started.

"No, it is. It's either me or her, John. Choose wisely," Jamie said, before walking away from him, leaving John with a decision to make. John threw his head back, taking in a deep breath. He was going to have to make this choice sooner than he thought he would. What if he wasn't ready for the whole relationship thing? What if he was a bad boyfriend? What if Renee didn't even like him like that? She always shooting him down when he asked her out and… it was his senior year. He should just be having fun, right? Then again, it was Renee and he hadn't gotten her off his mind for weeks. Maybe he should just take a risk. He didn't even know anymore…

John was at home early that afternoon and had called Jude in a panic. He honestly didn't know what to do but he knew what he wanted to do. It just scared the hell out of him.

"Hey," John said, answering the phone quickly.

"Dude, what's up with you? You sound really freaked out on the message you left me," Jude said back.

"Yeah…" John trailed off.

"What's going on?" Jude asked. John sighed, before explaining the whole thing to his brother. "Wow, sounds like a lot. I-, I don't know what to tell you, but it's your choice."

"Oh come on, man! You've been through this, right? I mean, choosing a fling or a relationship? I-, you've got to give me more than that," John pleaded, desperate.

"I don't know. From the way you make it sound, I think you want to try things with Renee," Jude said.

John sighed, "I know, I know. But what if I'm bad at it?"

"Bad at what?" Jude asked back, with a laugh.

"The whole relationship thing, you know? I haven't really… done that… ever. I mean, middle school relationships don't count and once I got to high school, I never had a real relationship. I feel like shit's about to get real if I do though," John answered.

"Okay, well what do you actually like about this Jamie girl?" Jude asked.

John hesitated. She was hot? They had really great sex? "I don't know."

"Exactly, but you do know what you like about Renee. I'm all for risk taking, little brother," Jude pointed out.

"You think I should?" John asked.

"I think it's up to you," Jude replied.

"I hate you," John grumbled.

"I know," Jude smiled, cheekily.

"How's school? Any hot girls?" John asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I think you have too many hot girls. I'll save you the trouble and we just won't talk about that," Jude teased.

"Shut up," John groaned.

Even though Jude kept saying that it was John's choice, John knew that already. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

><p>John knocked on the door to Renee's house and waited anxiously. He didn't even know what he'd say yet, but he was going to have to say something or it would drive him crazy. He was still on a high from earlier this afternoon, after he got off the phone with Jude. He knew what he needed to do, so he went and did it. It was now around 9 pm and he honestly couldn't wait till tomorrow morning at school.<p>

"Hey, John," Iz said, answering the door, her long blonde hair up in a pony tail.

"Hey, is Renee here?" John asked.

"Yeah. Renee, John's here for you," Iz called to inside the house. "Sorry, she'll just be a moment. Do you want to come in or something."

"Oh, no, I'm fine. I've got go soon, anyways. I just needed to drop by and talk to Renee about something," John said.

Iz shot him a funny look, "You know, you two are getting weirder and weirder by the second."

"I-," John opened his mouth to say something else but then he saw Renee coming towards the door.

"Iz, what're you-, John?" Renee asked.

"Hey," John smiled that crooked smile of his.

"What're you doing here, John?" Renee asked. "Iz, can you give us a minute?"

"Sure," Iz said, walking away.

"So um-," John started.

"John, why are you acting so weird? What's going on?" Renee asked. She couldn't help but notice that John was kind of fidgety and was stammering more often than usual.

"I broke it off with Jamie. Whatever it was… It's, I'm done and it actually feels pretty good," John said. It was like a 500 pound weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and he sighed out with relief. "Wow, it feels good to say that."

"Okay…" Renee trailed off. John's heart froze for a moment. He thought she'd care a little bit more than that. Had he made a mistake? Was the risk not worth it? Damn it. You'll never know until you try. John straightened up.

"So yeah," John managed to say.

"Good," Renee said. John was like a dog whose ears had perked up when he heard her say that.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean… she was kind of a bitch," Renee chuckled.

"You know what? She was," John said, just now realizing that. Blinded by lust? The two just stood there in awkward silence, neither of them really knowing what to say next. This is what he had come here to say, right? Did he really think she was going to fall into his arms and confess her undying love to her as soon as he told her that he broke it off with Jamie? _Get real, John_, he thought to himself. _Since when did you turn into such a chick?_"I should probably get going though. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Renee answered. She stood there as John walked away. He would be on to his next slutty girl for the next month right? Then why the hell did he come tell her about breaking up with Jamie. The risk terrified her but Renee knew she had to take it. "John?"

John stopped in his tracks and turned around to find her just standing on her porch. He stood on her lawn as he asked, "Yeah?"

"I-…" she started. She took a deep breath before continuing. "You know, that date doesn't sound too bad right now."

"Yeah?" John asked, wide grin spreading across his face. Renee smiled too. She loved that grin.

"Yeah," she shrugged, playing it cool.

"Okay," John said. "Saturday?"

"I can't. How about Friday?" Renee asked.

"Let me guess. You've got a thing," John replied.

"Yeah," Renee answered, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Okay. Friday it is then. After the game, maybe? We could grab a bite to eat or something," John suggested.

"Sounds perfect," Renee smiled.

"Cool," John smiled back. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Renee replied, before disappearing back into her house. She watched from the window as John drove away, the sounds of Journey's "Any Way You Want It" blasting from his car. She giggled since he was rocking out so hard. God, this boy was going to be the end of her.


	12. We Are the Tide

Author's Note: I promise the date chapter is coming next! :). There is a reason that this was not the date chapter. Please listen to "We Are the Tide" by Blind Pilot when you read this chapter.

* * *

><p>Friday came, and the second game of the season was happening tonight. Again, the school was lit up with excitement after their first win, hoping that they'd win again. Their team was pretty good and they had all the intentions of winning again tonight.<p>

Greer spotted Cole sitting alone across the quad, that afternoon. She had never seen him sitting alone, it was weird. She went over there to see he was just listening to some music. She placed a hand on his shoulder

"Mind if I sit?" she asked. Cole jumped, not expecting anyone. He turned around to see her and she chuckled. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. I just saw you sitting here all alone and thought maybe you'd like some company."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead and sit," Cole encouraged.

Ever since the game last week, things had been fine. Greer had apologized for being so weird on Friday, but she hadn't given an explanation. Cole had left it at that and hadn't asked any questions. He enjoyed his time with her and they were good friends. Cole couldn't help but want more. He had thought about kissing her several times, but he didn't want to ruin it, especially since she freaked out every now and then, even in their friendship. He didn't want to ruin anything. He liked what they had.

"Sorry, I'm being rude," Cole said, taking his headphones out and shoving his iPod back into his book bag. "So you coming to the game tonight?"

"Yeah, I think so," Greer replied. "I didn't really think I'd like football but it wasn't so bad the last time."

Cole chuckled, "I was raised on football so I've never disliked it."

"Yeah, I figured. It gets intense though. You guys are really… competitive. It's kind of like how I am with hunting. Sometimes my brother and I would have competitions to see the number of, well, whatever we were hunting at the time, that we could knock out. Whoever killed the most got the shower first," Greer said, laughing at her memory. She wore a bittersweet smile on her face and Cole could tell that the memory was painful for her.

"That's so…" Cole trailed off.

"Barbaric? I know," Greer chuckled. "But we did what he had to, to stay entertained on the hunts and everything. It wasn't easy."

"I can imagine. I'd hate being cooped up in a motel room. At least that's how my dad said things were," Cole replied.

Greer shook her head, "You know, we really do come from two worlds. It's so weird. Sometimes… I wonder how well I fit in this one."

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"Well, I get restless. As much as I hate being in a new town every other week, or every other month, when I'm in one place for more than a month, I get restless. I've gotten pretty restless here, but uh, it actually hasn't been too bad. You've helped a lot," Greer said.

"I've helped?" Cole asked, surprised.

"Yeah. It's nice to have a friend. But then, that goes along with the other thing. In my world, we don't really make attachments, to places… especially not to people but… here I am, and you're here…" Greer trailed off. Cole practically had to do a double take. Was this her way of saying that she liked him? Not that she was saying it, but Cole couldn't help but notice that strange subtext of this entire conversation. He straightened up, changing the subject because he knew if he thought about this anymore, it wouldn't be a great idea.

"Hey, I'm just going to stick around before the game so I was thinking about grabbing an early dinner downtown or something. I was wondering if you'd want to join me or something," Cole asked.

"Sure," Greer replied, a small smile spreading across her face. She was so badass when it came to demons, but when it came to connecting, especially emotionally, she couldn't help but get a little shy. It drove her crazy! She just… wasn't used to it. Or maybe it was the person she was connecting to because he sure as hell made her shy.

"Alright, let's go," Cole smiled, standing up, Greer following.

"I'll drive this time if you want," Greer volunteered.

"Why not?" Cole answered as they headed towards the parking lot.

LINEBREAK

That night, again, the football field lights shone brightly as the game played out. Currently, Sioux Falls High School was winning, but no one ever really knew the outcome of these games. The twins, the Gallagher kids, and some other kids from school sat on one level of bleachers, while Mer and Dean were snuggled up together a couple of bleachers above their kids. Kitty and Bryan had taken this opportunity to have a date night, seeing as they knew that their kids would be in good hands.

Renee sat with her sister and parents on the bleacher below Meredith and Dean, and right above the bleacher where all the kids were sitting.

"Hey, you guys. I assume we should sit here. They look like their having alone time," Sawyer said, nodding over towards Dean and Meredith.

"Oh, yeah. We got here and they were all ready like that all cute and snuggled up together," Molly chuckled, scooting over to make room for Sawyer and Sam. Sawyer sat down next to Molly and Sam sat down next to Sawyer.

"Cute? Try gross! I don't think I'll ever get used to them making out all the time! It's like having to watch your sister make out with her boyfriend. It's just weird… and creepy," Ethan shuddered.

"I understand that!" Sam exclaimed.

"Hey, Mer's my sister and I still think she and Dean are cute. Would I have preferred to not walk in on her and Dean when I was eleven? Yes, now that was disturbing but right now they seem so cute and couple-y," Sawyer chimed in.

"You are such a girl," Sam teased, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hey," she giggled, nudging him playfully.

"I figured it was best if we left them alone. I think she has Post-Jude blues and he's been trying to cheer her up ever since Jude went back to school," Molly added.

"Oh, that makes sense. When our kids go off to college too, I'm pretty sure we'll all finally understand her Post-Jude blues," Sawyer sighed. How had her kids grown up so quickly? Cole would be going away to college in two years. It felt like just yesterday that they were afraid of the tickle monster and loved watching Sesame Street.

"Oh, don't remind me. I hate thinking about Renee leaving for college," Molly groaned.

Down on the bleacher below the parents, Haley and Jackson filed into the bleachers, taking a seat. Haley wore her hair in a fishtail side braid as Jackson followed behind her. Haley's eyes widened as soon as she saw who was sitting there next to Flynn. Flynn was with Paige, of course, but Owen and another guy from the JV team were also there.

"Well, well, if it isn't the football queen herself," Owen said, turning to Haley.

"Hi," Haley replied, still kind of surprised.

"Hey, yourself," Owen replied.

"Haley this is Sam and Owen, although I see you've already met Owen," Flynn introduced.

"Oh, my Dad's a 'Sam'," Haley smiled.

"Yeah. Owen here's told me all about you and how you schooled him in football knowledge. Nice, going," the guy said.

Haley chuckled, a blush running across her cheeks, "I wouldn't really say I schooled him…"

"Oh, stop being modest. You definitely surprised me there," Owen said.

"Oh," Haley chuckled before sitting down right next to Victoria. She looked all comfy with Tyler next to her.

"Is that the guy?" Victoria asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, that's him," Haley answered.

"Yeah, that's the guy that's hot for Haley," Jackson chimed in. Both Haley and Victoria exchanged glances and then laughed at Jackson's comment. Haley glanced over at Owen, Flynn, Sam, and Paige and saw that they were all watching the game now so she wouldn't have to be too careful now that they were talking about him.

"He's cute," Victoria smirked. "Nice."

"Victoria," Haley groaned.

"What? I'm just saying. And he can admit defeat and everything," Victoria said. "He gets bonus points for that. I like this guy already."

"Victoria, it's not a big deal, okay?" Haley asked.

"I'm just saying… he's not sitting over here because of me or Flynn," Victoria shrugged. Haley brushed it off as nothing. Owen and Flynn were friends so it's not like he was here for her… right?

"Are you cold?" Flynn asked Paige as she shivered again. It had been warmer that day so Paige hadn't thought to bring a jacket but now it was getting really cold.

"Yeah, a little, but I'm fine," Paige answered, rubbing her arms that were covered in goose bumps from being cold.

"Nah, here. I'm way too hot in this thing anyways," Flynn said, pulling off his letterman jacket.

"Yeah, you are," Paige giggled, wiggling her eyebrows once, suggestively.

"That's not what I meant!" Flynn chuckled, handing her his JV football jacket.

"Well, I figured you had the right to know anyways," she replied, slipping the jacket on.

"Come here, you," Flynn said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as the huddled up close together. Flynn and Paige exchanged happy, warm glances before returning their attentions to the game. Flynn looked over at Paige once. He had really lucked out on this one. He didn't care that their relationship had happened fast. He would prefer that to the waiting and the chase to have dragged on. She was funny and beautiful, and they got along so well.

Up above, on the bleachers to the left of them, Haley spotted Greer sitting up on the top bleacher, by herself, just watching the game.

"Hey, I'll be right back. Stay here, okay?" Haley asked, turning to Jackson.

"Hey, I'm not a three year old!" Jackson protested.

"Yeah, but you are my little brother and I'm supposed to watch over you," Haley reminded, before getting out of her seat on the bleachers, and making her way to that top bleacher where Greer was sitting. She knew that she could leave Jackson with her cousins. "Hey."

"Oh, hi," Greer said, caught off guard as Haley came up to the bleachers and sat down next to her. "I would say I'd making room for you… but uh, there's really nothing in your way." Haley looked along the empty bleacher.

"Why are you sitting up here by yourself, anyways?" Haley asked.

Greer shrugged, "I don't mind being alone. I'm used to it." Haley wasn't quite sure how to respond to that but she quickly changed the subject.

"So you came to the game again and you and Cole seem to be getting pretty close. I think it's good for him to a have a close friend that's… not related to him. Haha. John's his best friend but they're cousins, so you know…" Haley trailed off.

Greer chuckled, "Nah, it's great. I wish I had a family like yours; you're all so close and… big. I always wanted a big family."

"Yeah?" Haley asked, a little surprised at Greer's response.

"Yeah. When I was a kid we were always out on the road. My mom left early and my dad… was pretty broken in general, but I always wanted a big family: lots of brothers and sisters that would bother the hell out of me. But I'd still love it anyways," Greer answered.

"That's funny because that's what my aunt used to say. She was raised a hunter too and she said that all she used to want was a big family with a mom and dad that held hands. I think that's part of the reason she and her husband are like that. They always wanted that," Haley answered.

"Your aunt teaches junior year English, right?" Greer asked.

"Yeah. Do you have her?" Haley asked back.

"Yeah. She's really awesome. Cole told me she was a hunter… that's so awesome. This town is full of surprises," Greer chuckled.

"Yeah, it really is. Hey, do you want to come sit with us?" Haley asked.

"I don't know. I'm really not in the mood for the big crowds kind of thing," Greer answered.

"We'll sit in the row above them then. I kind of promised I'd keep an eye on my little brother," Haley replied.

"Why not?" Greer answered.

"Cool," Haley smiled, standing up. She led Greer to the bleacher row where her mom and dad, and Molly and Ethan were sitting.

"Hey, sweetie," Sawyer said.

"Hey, Mom. This is Greer. She's one of Cole's friends," Haley introduced.

"Hi, Mrs. Winchester," Greer said, politely.

"You can call me Sawyer," Sawyer answered.

"Oh, okay," Greer said, laughing awkwardly. This family was so overwhelmingly welcoming that it was so new for Greer. She liked it but at the same time, it was intimidating.

"Greer, I didn't know you were friends with Cole," Meredith said, from the bleach above them.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Winchester," Greer said.

"Do you mind if I tell her?" Haley asked.

"Um… I guess not," Greer said, hesitantly. I mean, most of the family knew anyways and the whole family was made up of hunters or at least used to be hunters.

"She does that thing… that you guys used to do that we're not supposed to mention in public," Haley said to Meredith.

"Oh," Dean said.

"I knew it!" Meredith exclaimed.

"What?" Greer asked.

"This one can smell a hunter ten miles away," Dean chuckled. "Hi, I'm Dean. I'm Meredith's husband."

"Yeah, you teach auto shop, right?" Greer asked back.

"Yeah," Dean answered. So this was the infamous Dean Winchester. It was so disorienting to see him in this life of normalcy. She had always heard stories about him just as a hunter so to see him as a father and a family man was so strange. All she knew about him was of his hunting skill and that he was Michael's vessel. Greer was starting to think that maybe, just maybe she'd be able to have a life after all of this hunting stuff. Hell, she was starting to think that she actually wanted that.

"It's true, though," Meredith chuckled. "I don't know. There was just something about you when you walked in the class room. I always suspected and now that I know…"

"I hope you didn't give her detention just to confront her about it," Dean teased.

"What?" Greer asked with a small chuckled.

"The last time a new hunter came to town and was in Mer's class, we practically adopted him," Dean filled in.

"I see," Greer said.

"Sorry, we'll leave you two alone. I'm sure you don't want to be at a football game with your teachers," Meredith said, before returning to Dean.

"No, it's fine," Greer replied. She turned to Haley. "You're family's pretty cool."

"Oh, thanks," Haley chuckled. "They're pretty lame sometimes too."

"Nah," Greer shook her head.

LINEBREAK

After the game, everyone was saying their goodbyes and heading the separate ways. Greer went down to the field with the rest of the Winchesters.

"Hey," Cole said, seeing her. "I hope you're not going to freak out on me this time."

"No," Greer said, with such conviction that she was determined not to let her family's past scare her out of this. She was starting something good and real for herself, for once. And she really liked it. "Actually, what're you doing now?"

"Uh, I don't know. I'll probably go home or hit the showers or something," Cole shrugged.

"Any chance you want to do something?" Greer asked.

"Uh, sure," Cole replied, surprised at her answer.

"Cool. I want to show you some place," Greer smiled.

"Okay," Cole said. "Hey, I'm just going to drop my stuff back in my car but I'll meet you… at your car?"

"Yeah, that sounds great," Greer replied.

John spotted Renee talking to a couple of friends on the field so he parted from his family and went over to her.

"Hey," he said.

Renee turned around to see John and smiled, "Hey. Good game. Second win of the season. Nice."

"Thanks," John said. "So you ready to go?"

"Uh, yeah. Are you by any chance going to tell me where we're going yet?" Renee asked back.

"I thought we could go back to the same place we had our not-date at," John answered.

"Sounds good to me. I'm just going to say goodbye to some people but I'll meet you there, okay?" Renee asked back.

"Sure," John answered. He watched as she walked away, a giddy feeling building inside him. God, he hoped this date went well. He wasn't quite sure what he'd say, but he knew that he had feelings for her. Was he going to tell her? He didn't really even know if he needed to tell her. John wasn't quite sure what would happen tonight, but he so badly wanted to kiss her right then and there. Instead, he'd wait and see how the date went. He didn't want to scare her off too quickly because for once, he had found a girl he wanted to keep around for a while...


	13. Terrified

Author's Note: Please listen to Terrified by Katharine McPhee feat. Jason Reeves. NOTE: THIS IS THE UPDATED VERSION! PLEASE READ THIS ONE

* * *

><p>"Where the hell are we-, wait, you want to break into the school?" Cole exclaimed, stopping in his tracks.<p>

"Oh come on, Cole. Put on your big girl panties. I'm excellent at picking locks so you have nothing to worry about," Greer replied, chuckling a little.

"Yeah, but what if some alarm goes off?" Cole asked, worriedly.

"You worry too much! Look, I've done this plenty of times and nothing has happened so far. Just trust me, okay?" Greer asked.

Cole took a deep breath before sighing, "Yeah, okay. Let's go."

"Finally!" Greer exclaimed, jokingly. She bent down, working at the lock on the side door of the school. Cole stood behind her, waiting for the door to open. He had watched his cousins do this plenty of times when they got locked out of the house. Hey, maybe this wasn't such a bad skill to learn. Then again, he knew his dad wouldn't be pleased, but at the same time, the fact that his father could teach him how to pick a lock probably meant that he was allowed to learn too.

Cole couldn't help but stare at her ass as Greer bent over, working on the lock. He wasn't going to lie. He was very attracted to her. There was something about that leather jacket and her careless, daring attitude that he loved about her. Guess you could say that Cole had a thing for badass girls. Then again, this was the first girl he felt this way about so he honestly didn't know.

"There," Greer said to herself, pulling on the door handle and then opening it so that she and Cole could walk inside. The door shut behind them as they strolled down the hall.

"So this is where you wanted to take me? Really cool, Greer," Cole teased.

"Shut up. Come with me," Greer encouraged. She looked back at Cole before leading the way to a hallway that Cole hadn't been down before. There was a door another door. Greer pulled out a key from her pocket, opening that one.

"Where'd you get that from?" Cole asked.

"I swiped it and made a copy," she shrugged, shamelessly. Cole shot her a look and she rolled her eyes, laughing. "Don't worry. I put the key back." She opened the door and it led to a bunch of cement steps leading to God knows where.

"Where the hell are you taking me?" Cole asked, gazing into the darkness that the steps led up to.

"You'll see!" Greer giggled. "Come on." She flipped the light switch on as the staircase became dimly lit by one single light bulb. She began to ascend the stairs while Cole followed her up, hesitating first. Once they reached the top, it led to another door, which was actually already open. Greer opened it up and stepped out onto the rooftop of the school. The place was lit up by the stars above them.

Cole glanced around the place, the door shutting behind him. There was a futon up here and a cooler. There were also some candles on the floor along with some used up matches lying next to a match box.

"How'd you find this place?" Cole asked, taking it all in.

"I get bored sometimes. I came back to the school one time and decided to do a little exploring and ended up here. It's nice, huh? The futon was already up here. There's a tarp I throw over it before I leave, you know, just in case it rains. I changed the cover though, since you never know who's been up here. I brought up some candles for when it's really dark," Greer answered, taking the tarp off of the futon and sitting down.

"So this is your thinking place or something?" Cole asked.

"You could call it that, I guess. It's kind of nice, huh?" Greer asked back.

"Yeah. You've got yourself an escape place here. Man, how come no one knows about the roof top here?" Cole asked.

Greer shrugged, "No one's cared enough to actually find it – well except whoever put this futon up here. Smart people." She reached down into the cooler and pulled out two beers. "Beer?"

"Sure," Cole said.

Greer took off one of her rings, opening the beer bottle with her ring. She then opened Cole's and handed it to him, Cole taking it. Cole smiled, "So that's what that's for!"

"Yep. I found this beer opener ring and knew I'd need it some time," Greer said coolly, sitting back against the futon and just sipping her beer. "You drink a lot?"

"Sometimes when I'm at parties. My uncle's pretty cool about alcohol though. He bought me my first beer at fifteen. Dad's… not crazy about it but he doesn't really stop my uncle. Their dad was that way too. I don't know. I think that's why my dad isn't crazy about the whole hunting thing. He doesn't want to bring us up the same way his dad brought them up," Cole pondered.

"You know, I don't see what's so wrong about the whole hunting life. I mean, yeah, it's kind of fucked up, but I've gotten to see so much of the country already," Greer sighed.

"Yeah?" Cole asked.

"Yeah. But after dad died and my brother came back, we weren't really hunting much. When we moved here, it was supposed to 'permanent'. I don't know if it'll stick, though," Greer confessed.

Something stirred in Cole. He didn't like the idea of her leaving, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. In every town we've been in, something always happens and we have to leave," Greer replied.

"And you think it'll happen here?" Cole asked.

"I don't know, to be honest," Greer replied, taking another swig of her beer.

"I don't know. This town is pretty safe considering there are so many hunters here. I mean… my family, you and your brother-," Cole said.

_That's just it. You guys are here_, Greer thought to herself.

"I don't know. My brother's been out on a lot of hunts lately and he hasn't been back for a while. I'm actually starting to wonder when he'll come back. He wasn't crazy about the location and he uh, there's a group of hunters he's been working with. I can only assume that he's been running with them," Greer sighed, discontent.

"You miss him, don't you?" Cole asked, picking up on her discontent.

"Yeah. When he came back after dad died, he was so different. He used to be so full of life, so careless…" Greer trailed off. She realized what she was saying so she closed her mouth, sat her beer down on the arm of the futon, and stood up. She began walking over to the edge of the rooftop. She leaned over it, looking below them. The football field lights were shutting off and now it was just the stars lighting them.

"That's why I love this place," Greer continued. "I get to feel that way. I would say nothing beats a good adrenaline rush but… I don't know. There's something about feel so on top of the world." She climbed up on top of the ledge, gazing down so far below her. It scared the hell out of her, but that rush of adrenaline was just enough. "It's just so-."

"Greer, what the hell are you doing?" Cole exclaimed, running over, wrapping his arms around her waist, and pulling her down from the ledge.

Greer was laughing as Cole pulled her down from the ledge. Cole, on the other hand, was panicked. His heart was racing. That had scared the shit out of him. Cole didn't think it was funny one bit.

"What the hell were you doing?"

Greer continued to laugh, wrapping her arms around his neck and he held her bridal style, "You always play it so safe, Cole. Don't you ever want to just do something because it scares you?"

"You're crazy, you know that?" Cole asked, still trying to calm himself.

Greer giggled, "I bet you were that kid that colored inside the lines, weren't you?"

"I-, well, yeah! You're supposed to color inside the lines," Cole said.

"Yeah, but think about what it would be like if we didn't," Greer challenged.

"You're one hell of a girl, you know that?" Cole asked, staring down into those pretty, green eyes of hers.

"So I've been told," she replied. They shared one more glance before Cole put her down.

"Will you just come and sit down and have a beer now?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. But one day, Cole, you're going to see how much of a thrill it all is…" Greer sighed.

"Alright, alright," Cole chuckled. He couldn't get over this girl. There was something about her that he was instantly attracted to. He didn't know whether it was the daring adventurous side of her, or the fact that she was dark and seemed to have some kind of secret, but whatever it was, he had it bad.

* * *

><p>John and Renee ended up sitting in another booth in the diner that they had gone to. They looked at the menus as soon as they sat down.<p>

"So… I'm not really good at this," John started.

"What? Ordering food?" Renee asked.

John laughed, "No. This whole… date thing. I-, Jamie and I… and pretty much any other girl I've seen throughout high school, we never did this kind of stuff so I'm going to be honest with you and tell you that this is weird for me."

"Weird weird or good weird?" Renee asked, anxiously.

"Good weird," John replied, quickly after Renee's comment. They both exchanged a nervous laugh in the awkward silence.

"Good to see you two here again. What can I get for you this evening?" the same waitress they had had on their not date asked, coming over to their both. John and Renee both ordered their usual before the waitress left, leaving them alone.

Renee sighed, "I'll be honest with you too, but this is kind of weird for me too. The good kind of weird but… I don't know. We were such good friends when we were kids and now that we're here… on a date… it's just… weird."

"Yeah, I get that," John chuckled.

"So…" Renee started.

"So..." John said back. They both laughed again through their awkward silence.

"Hey, I wanted to tell you that I had a test yesterday and uh, I don't think I did half that bad," John started. Renee raised an eyebrow, asking John to continue. "Well, you know usually when I take tests I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm usually just BSing that shit but uh… this time I actually kinda knew what to do."

Renee smiled, "Good for you."

"I couldn't do it without your tutoring," John said.

Renee blushed, "Is that your version of using a line on me?"

"Maybe," John shrugged, a smirk on his face.

Renee laughed, rolling her eyes playfully, "So did you ever end up liking the music?"

"Yeah, I did. It wasn't too bad. I really liked Jimmy Eat World but that doesn't count because my mom brought me up on that stuff. It was a mix between the classic rock and the early 2000s, late 90s stuff that my mom liked when she was our age," John said.

"Yeah, whatever," Renee chuckled.

"Besides, I guess the bet doesn't really matter anymore now that I finally got you agree to go on a date with me," John brought up.

"What? You did not get me to-, I brought that up on my own," Renee said.

"Yeah, after a long time of saying 'no' to me," John pointed out.

"That's because you had a girlfriend!" Renee defended herself, playfully.

"Jamie was not my friend," John said.

"Okay, well you had a fun buddy… and your fun buddy just so happened to be Jamie Callahan, who is a super bitch and I did not want to mess with that," Renee said back.

"Haha, fun buddy," John laughed at the term.

"Well, what else am I supposed to call her?" Renee asked back. It was their first real date and the last thing John wanted to do was talk about Jamie. He didn't want to focus on his fucked up past 'relationships', if you could even call them that. He knew that being with Renee would entail having a real relationship now, and he was willing to give that at ry.

"Here's your food. Enjoy," the waitress said, bring the food to their table.

"Thanks," Renee said.

"Yeah, thanks," John said back. "So uh, how am I doing so far?"

"What?" Renee asked back, confused.

"You know, the whole date thing. I don't know how the normal date thing works so… how am I doing so far?" John asked.

"Oh! I mean, you're doing fine? I don't really know. Trevor and I didn't really go on that many dates either so-," Renee started.

"Trevor is-," John started.

"Ex-boyfriend. I dated him last year for far too long," Renee said, letting a sigh escape her lips.

"Ah, I see," John said.

"Let's not talk about him though, okay?" Renee asked, hoping to change the subject. It was their first date and the last thing she wanted to talk about was their exes. Not exactly first date material.

"Sure," John answered.

John was grateful when they finally got conversation going. He loved that he could talk with Renee for hours about almost anything. She was just easy to be with. He didn't feel like he needed to put on any show for her and she didn't feel like she needed to try hard to impress John. That was the last thing on their minds. They just enjoyed each others' company.

"Alright, I'm going to stop talking so much. You're probably getting sick of me already," Renee said.

"No, actually, which is surprising," John teased.

"Hey!" Renee giggled, kicking him under the table.

"Ow! You know that's the second time you've kicked me here at this place. I'm starting to think that all you're going to do is beat me up here," John chuckled.

"Maybe, but then again, you have all those hunter skills that I'm sure that that would be a unfair fight," Renee replied.

"Hey, dude," a voice said, grabbing both John and Renee's attention.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" John asked, acknowledging his teammates as they approached John and Renee's booth.

"We were just grabbing some food after the game. Looks like we had the same idea," Chris, one of his teammates said.

"And who might this be?" Kyle asked.

"This is my friend Renee," John introduced.

"Friend? This uh, this kinda looks like a date to me," Thomas, another one of his teammates chimed in. Renee blushed. This was extremely awkward, being ambushed by the football team. She shifted uncomfortably.

"So what if it is?" John shrugged, glancing over at Renee with a smirk on his face. His friends 'oohed' and whistled.

"Boy knows how to rebound," one of his teammates said.

Renee hesitated. Was she just a rebound for him?

"Nice, man. Get it. I knew when we were talking about her in the locker room that you were all over that," Kyle said. John's eyes widened and Renee looked over at John, her heart sinking. What had Kyle just said? "Guys, John Winchester everybody. The guy who knows how to get two girls at one time. Nice, dude. Nice." Renee was speechless and John was about to kill Kyle right now.

"Kyle, shut up," John hissed.

"Come on, Kyle. We should get going," Thomas said, steering his teammate away from their booth and out of the restaurant as soon as he recognized the look that John got on his face.

Panic and fear began to build up in Renee. She had been too afraid to trust John before because the way he just threw her away the first time, when they were friends in middle school. If he had done it once, there was a huge possibility that he'd do it again and that's one of the reasons he was so afraid to trust her. John didn't have her fooled when he started to pay attention to her again this year, but then when they started to tutor and hang out, she had begun to see the boy that she had grown up. He was sweet and kind and funny and she missed that. He was that guy when he was with her, but when he was around his friends… he was the person that she had begun to hate.

Had this all been an act? And Kyle had mentioned something about talk in the locker room. Had he been talking to her? Had this all been an act to get her in bed with him? Renee refused to be another one of his 'fun buddies'. Renee thought that maybe he actually had feelings for her. He got all cute and tongue tied in front of her, but John was a good player… who knows what he was capable of?

"Why can't you be the person you are with me, with everyone else?" Renee asked.

"Renee, it's not like that," John said.

"Yeah, it is. I just watched you turn into a stupid, high school jock right before my eyes," Rene said in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry about that," John started, nervously.

"You know… I was actually starting to think that you weren't an ass hole and that you were the same guy that I grew up with but I guess I was wrong. Damn it, John. You had me fooled again. I'm an idiot," Renee said, standing up and beginning to walk out.

"Renee, wait! I-," John said.

"No! What was Kyle talking about anyways? 'Two girls'? Did you lie to me? Are you still sleeping with Jamie?" Renee exclaimed.

"Renee, it's not like that!" John protested.

"I can't believe I trusted you again. And what was he talking about the locker room? Did you make a bet, John? Is that what this is? Is that the only reason that you're doing this? To sleep with me? I-, you know what… I just, I'm going to go," Renee said. She didn't care that she was jumping to conclusions. She had been right to not trust John in the first place. She hurried out of the restaurant, not bothering to look back.

* * *

><p><em>"You by the light is the greatest findIn a world full of wrong you're the thing that's right/Finally made it through the lonely to the other side…"_

The next morning, John felt horrible about what had happened on their date last night. Around nine, he drove over to the Walsh residence and knocked on the door. He hadn't even seen it coming but his friends came and he didn't want to seem whipped in front of them, so he put up his first defense mechanism that he always used. God, he had to stop doing this. It was time for him to be honest with a girl, for once.

He knocked on the door and Renee answered it. As soon as she saw John, she began to close the door but John put out a hand to stop the door from closing.

"Wait, can we please talk?" John asked.

"John, there's really nothing you can say to me right now," Renee said.

"Look, just hear me out, okay?" John asked.

"Give me one good reason why I should," Renee replied.

His brain was screaming at him not to but his heart was about to explode out of his chest, "Because I like you, okay?"

_"You said it again, my heart's in motion/Every word feels like a shooting star/I'm at the edge of my emotions/Watching the shadows burning in the dark,/And I'm in love and I'm terrified./For the first time and the last time/In my only life…"_

Renee wasn't expecting that. She was expecting him to give her some kind of line, not be honest. But she looked into his eyes and knew that he was being honest. Renee stepped out onto her porch, closing the door behind her.

"Fine," she said. "I'll hear you out."

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I… you didn't give me time to explain," John started.

"And why should I even need an explanation, John? I-, I feel like if I have to keep hearing explanations then… this is not such a good idea," Renee said.

"I know, I know and that's why I'm here, being honest with you, scared shitless… okay? I don't do this… this whole honesty thing with girls," John said. Renee looked up at him, not say anything. "We were in the locker room one day and we were talking and they brought you up and I-, I tried to avoid the topic as much as I could. I told them that we were just friends but Kyle wouldn't listen. I didn't say anything though. You can ask Cole! I tried to steer the conversation in another direction because… because I think you deserve more respect than that. Look, I'm not seeing Jamie. Kyle doesn't know that I broke it off with her. I mean, he's a sophomore. I don't tell him these kinds of things!"

"Okay," Renee said.

_"This could be good It's already better than last/And nothing's worse than knowing/You're holding back I could be all that you needed/If you let me try..."_

"And, no. I'm not doing this because of some bet, Renee. I'll admit, when we first started talking it was because… because you're hot as hell, Renee and I'm dumb enough that it took me this long to realize it but then we started hanging out, I realized how much I missed you. I mean, you don't fall all over me like other girls and you don't take my bullshit, and-," John started.

"And you like the chase," Renee said.

"No! No, it's not that. It's… I don't do relationships. They freak me out. I don't get close to people but I knew that choosing you would mean choosing, potentially… if you'll have me… a relationship. And for once, it didn't really scare me. I-, Renee, I like you and I was stupid to let you go once. I'm not doing it again," John declared, swallowing hard. He had never been so honest with a girl in his life. This was the scariest thing he had done ever.

"John… it's hard for me trust you. I just, I don't know…" Renee trailed off.

"I know it's hard for you to trust me and I've given you no real reason to but-, but if this was about sex of a bet or anything else but that I really do like you, do you really think I'd be standing here, telling you all this?" John asked, desperate.

"Well, no, but-," Renee started. John interrupted her, crashing his lips against his in a passionate kiss. Renee kissed him back until John pulled away, their faces inches away from each other.

"And do you really that that kiss would be as good as it was if I didn't have feelings for you? I know that you think I'm a cocky, asshole of a jerk. I know that. Just give me this once chance to prove you wrong," John said.

Renee pulled away, looking at him once, "Well, when that kiss was so good…"

John smiled, "See?"

Renee giggled, "I like you too, John. For the record. I'm just… terrified of what this would mean."

"So am I! But I'm willing to… you know, find it out if you are," John replied. Renee stared at him once more, before leaning in a kissing him. She had thought that maybe, just maybe, kissing her old childhood friend would be weird, but it was amazing. It just felt right. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. He held her hips in his hands as they engaged in the kiss.

"Wait, so what that a yes?" John asked, pulling away.

Renee giggled, "Yes, it's definitely a yes." She rolled her eyes playfully before pulling him in for another kiss.

_"You said it again, my heart's in motion/Every word feels like a shooting star/I'm at the edge of my emotions/Watching the shadows burning in the dark/And I'm in love and I'm terrified/For the first time and the last time/In my only life..."_

* * *

><p>Author's note: FINALLY!<p> 


	14. Save the Last Dance for Me

Author's Note: This takes place right where the last chapter left off so it's the SAME Saturday. Featured music: Santa Maria by the Gotan Project, Save the Last Dance for Me by Michael Buble, Quando Quando Quando by Michael Buble (please listen to this one when you see it written in the chapter - thanks!)

Also, please skip to 0:57 (57 seconds in this youtube video) to see Renee and Rastio's dance. This is the girl that's actually portraying Renee in my story as well :) It will give you a better description of the dance than I did in this chapter. Hah! h t t p : / / www. youtube. com/watch?v=biW75hxq3aY - Just take out the spaces!

* * *

><p>"So what're you doing tonight?" John asked.<p>

"John, isn't there some dating rule and how many dates in a row you can have or something? I don't know! We just got together like… two seconds ago," Renee reminded.

John chuckled, "I play by the rules. You should know that."

"I can't. I've got this thing," Renee said.

"What is this thing that you have? You've been saying that for so long now. Can't you just ditch it?" John asked, flirtatiously, trying to coax her into ditching.

"I can't. I kind of promised someone I'd be there," Renee answered. John froze. Why was she being so secretive about it and who was she promising things too? John thought about it for a moment. Was Renee seeing someone too? They just got together so maybe she was going to break things off. Or maybe she would two time him.

"Renee, what're you-," John started.

"Renee, Mom needs you now," Iz said, coming out onto the front porch.

"Okay, just a second," Renee said back. She sighed, turning back to John. "Look, you don't have to worry about it. It's nothing you'd be interested in. I promise."

"Renee-," John started.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Renee asked, kissing him once.

"Bye," John said back with a sigh. He pushed his doubts to the back of his mind. Renee wasn't that kind of person, right?

* * *

><p>Meredith jumped up, as John swung his leg under. She quickly whipped around, kicking him and the knee. John bent over, catching his breath.<p>

"You okay?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank God for knee pads, right?" John asked back.

"Yeah. You're doing well, John. Just a something to think about. When I contract, you expand and if I expand, you should contract. I think we can call it a day for now though," Meredith said. She hated having to teach her kids hand to hand combat, especially when she had to physically fight them to teach them it, but she knew it was for their safety.

John on the other hand, didn't mind it at all. He thought it was cool that his mom knew all this stuff. Of course, it was a bit of an ego blow that his mom could kick his ass, but she had had a lot more training and actual experience with this stuff. He was still learning. Maybe one day he's be the one winning in these hand to hand combat training sessions. John grabbed his water bottle and gulped half of it down, sweaty and out of breath. After he left Renee's that Saturday morning, he went over to the center to meet his family for another training session.

"Hey, Mom?" John asked.

"Yeah?" Meredith asked back.

"So I'm going to be out tonight. I'm probably just going to head over to Renee's and surprise her," John replied.

"You and Renee have been spending an awful lot of time together lately…" Meredith started, trailing off and hoping that the subtle hint would be enough for John to fill her in on what had been going on.

"Yeah… we're kinda like dating now," John admitted, looking over at his mom to gage any kind of reaction.

Meredith looked over at her son, surprised, "You're 'like dating' or you are?"

"We are," John blushed, looking away.

"Since when?" Meredith asked, a smile spreading across her face.

"Since… this morning," John replied.

"Oh my God! I knew you two were hanging out a lot and you were talking about her an awful lot as well recently. Oh, sweetie this is great. I'm happy for you two. You know, it's about damn time. We always thought it would happen at some point," Meredith said.

"What? And who is 'we'?" John asked, chuckling.

"Molly and I. Sometimes your father and, well, Ethan knew it would happen. He just hoped it wouldn't because he thinks you'll be a heartbreaker just like Dean. Hah, I can't wait till Renee tells Ethan. He's going to flip!" Meredith laughed, imagining her best friend's reaction.

"Flip? No! Mom, that's not good," John said, panicked.

Meredith chuckled, "Oh, he'll be fine, sweetie. He knows you're a good kid and besides. That heartbreaker of a dad you've got made me happier than anyone else could. John, this is great. It's about time you found a nice girl – not to mention she's beautiful. You're doing alright, kid."

John chuckled, "Wait, what do you mean by 'it's about time'?"

"Oh, please. Like I didn't know about Jamie Callahan, or any of the others girls you were with, in the past… couple of… well, a couple of years but that's not important. I mean, you actually told me about this one," Meredith smiled.

"Well, I kind of had to, Mom. Our families are always together and someone would find out eventually," John said. "Besides, I wanted to. I actually like this girl…"

"Oh, thank God, because if she was your new Jamie Callahan, you know Ethan would-," Meredith started.

"Kill me. Yes, I know," John chuckled.

"Okay, I think I've memorized the entire exorcism in here, but I'm not quite sure. Will someone quiz me?" Flynn asked, coming out of the study.

"That's my cue. Nice talk, Mom," John said, hopping up from the bench they were sitting on and jogging over to Flynn who had peeked his head out from the study. Meredith smiled to herself. She loved the idea of John and Renee being together. She knew that they had drifted apart over the years but she hoped that this time it would last. For some reason, she had a feeling that Renee was going to be good for her son.

"Hey, you guys are still here," Dean said, coming into the center, Victoria close behind him.

"Yeah, John and I just finished combat training," Meredith said back. Dean shot her an apologetic look. He knew how much she hated having to, technically, beat up her kids. Or at least he knew that was the way that she saw it. Dean knew just how to lighten up the mood. "How was shooting practice?"

"Good," Victoria answered, putting down her bag and looking through the transparent doors of the study. John was sitting on top of the desk with a book in his hand while Flynn was pacing and reciting an exorcism from memory.

"This one's getting pretty good here," Dean said.

"That's good," Meredith said back.

"So combat, huh? Any chance you want to go?" Dean challenged.

"Really?" Meredith asked, skeptically.

"I think I could take you. Plus, it's a fair fight seeing as I'm not still learning," Dean replied, trying to cheer Meredith up.

"Why not?" Meredith shrugged.

"Watch this, kiddo. This is really how it's done," Dean said, before charging at his wife. He threw a punch and she ducked. She spun around and this time her hit was blocked as Dean blocked it with his forearm. He undercut it and Meredith grabbed his forearm. But Dean was too quick. He swung a kick, uprooting her as she fell to the ground, him following. Dean pinned her to the ground, straddling her as he pinned her wrists to the ground.

"If you wanted to be on top, all you had to do was ask, baby," Meredith smirked. Dean grinned widely.

"Okay, that was really cool but now this is getting really gross some I'm going to go see what John and Flynn are up to," Victoria said, attempting to excuse herself.

"Hey, you kill Jefferson Starships with phoenix ash, right?" John asked, peeking out from behind the study door. "Woah! What is going on here? Did I miss something?"

"Nope, just Dad and Mom showing me some combat. And of course, it turned in to this," Victoria sighed, rolling her eyes. Meredith and Dean exchanged glances, laughing as Dean got off of her and Meredith stood up.

"Yes, that's how you kill Jefferson Starships," Dean replied.

Meredith laughed, "I still can't believe we call them that!"

"Hey, how much longer are we going to be here? I should probably do some conditioning," Flynn asked, coming from the study too.

"As long as you guys need to be here," Dean answered.

"Yeah, I don't see any rush," Meredith said.

"Actually, I've got to meet Paige by six. I said we'd go for a walk downtown," Flynn replied.

"Yeah, and I told Haley I'd go over to their house for a little while," Victoria added.

"I took a short shift at the garage tonight," Dean said, an apologetic look on his face.

"And you know my plans, Mom," John said. They all stared at John.

"What kind of plans?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, what are you talking about? I thought you broke up with Jamie," Flynn added.

"Guys! Hold on. What happened to family dinner?" Meredith asked.

"Oh, we were doing that tonight?" John asked.

"Yes," Meredith replied.

"I get off at eight. What do you guys say to a late dinner tonight? We could do a late dinner at around nine or something," Dean suggested.

"Ooh, and we could do that unconventional take out thing where we order take out and then sit on the living room floor with all of our paper plates," Meredith added, her eyes lighting up at the thought. She just loved her family and since she had all high schoolers, they were getting so busy lately! She just wanted to have some family time that wasn't spent teaching them how to hunt.

"That's not a bad idea. I can be home by nine," John shrugged.

"Yeah, me too," Flynn said.

"I'll tell Haley. I'm sure she'll be fine with it," Victoria answered.

"Good. Good… well, nine it is, then," Meredith announced, satisfied.

* * *

><p>John was driving towards the Walsh house when he saw Renee's car backing out of the driveway. He quickly drove by, turning onto another street and doing a three point turn while he waited for her to go. He had forgotten that she always had that this 'thing' on Saturday nights. What was she up to anyways? Was she seeing someone too? Oh, no. He hadn't even thought about it. Her car passed by and the curiosity was killing him.<p>

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he said aloud to himself as he made a turn and began to follow her. So maybe she hadn't been lying when she said that she had a thing, but why wouldn't she tell him? As he followed her, he always made sure he stayed two cars behind him so she didn't see him. John hated it, but he let curiosity get the best of him.

Finally, he arrived at a house, driving by it but making sure to remember which one it was as Renee pulled to the side of the curb, parking. There were a couple of other cars there too. What exactly was she up to? John made a circle around the cul de sac before passing by once more, his eyes widening as he saw Renee hugging some man at the front door before she went inside. Okay, what the hell was going on?

John drove out of the neighborhood, trying to decide what to do. If he went in and saw that she was with someone, it would screw it all up. They had just gotten together! He didn't want to give that up already. Had the risk not been worth taking? Then again, if he didn't go in, he'd drive himself crazy with all of these questions. After driving around for a good thirty minutes, John went back to the house, parked the car and knocked on the door.

A woman with short, light brown hair stood in the door way. She looked in her mid-forties and wore a warm smile on her face.

"Hi, you must be new," the woman greeted. "I'm Sarah. I assume that you're here for Rastio's classes."

"Classes?" John asked.

"Come inside," she encouraged. Before John could say anything else, he found himself being ushered inside the house. What was going on? Why was Renee here and who the hell was Rastio? As Sarah showed him into the house, he stopped as soon as they got to the dining room. The room was lined with chairs where couples sat.

"Next up, we will be doing the tango. Now we're going to start with the basics first, but me and my lovely assistant here are going to give you a little taste of what an advanced tango looks like," the man with dark black hair said. He had tan skin and a Spanish accent.

John was surprised when he saw Renee get up out of her chair and meet the man halfway on the dance floor. The seductive, sultry tango music began to play and the two looked at each, their eyes not leaving one another's eyes. The man pulled Renee in close to him and then began to dance. John's eyes widened as he watched as the two maneuvered the floor, performing complicated twists, turn, and dips to the tango music. Finally, it ended and Renee smiled a friendly smile, before hugging the man. The rest of the people there clapped and Renee and the guy parted.

As Renee pulled away from her friend and ballroom instructor, Rastio, her eyes widened as she saw John, "John?"

"Alright, pair up! We shall start with the basics," Rastio started.

"Hey, we have a newcomer," Sarah said, going over to Rastio and Renee.

"John, what're you doing here?" Renee asked, still in shock.

"Looks like you two know each other. How about you teach our new friend here the basic steps?" Rastio suggested.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Renee said, still caught off guard. She walked over to John.

"Is this weird?" John asked.

"What? How the hell did you even get here, John?" Renee asked back.

"I… followed you," John answered, avoiding eye contact.

"Okay… creepy, much?" Renee asked back.

"I'm sorry! It's just you've been so mysterious about where you've been going Saturday nights and it's not like I can't trust you but I drove by your house around five to see where you were going and… well, kind of ended up here," John confessed, feeling like an idiot by now.

"I-, Oh my God, John-," Renee started.

"I know it's weird and I know I shouldn't have but I just… I don't know I thought about it and the next thing I knew I was here at your house and-, it was stupid I know but-," John started.

"John, it's okay," Renee chuckled.

"Yeah?" John asked, looking up at her.

"Yeah, it's kinda sweet, actually. Still creepy, but definitely kind of sweet. Come on. I've got to do my job so you and I are going to dance," Renee said, pulling John out into the dining room.

"Wait, what? But I don't dance!" John protested.

"You do now. You followed me here. Now you pay the price," Renee teased.

"So it goes T-A-N-G-O," Rastio instructed.

"Oh God. What did I get myself into?" John groaned. The music began to play and John's eyes widened. "Wait! I don't even know what I'm doing! Renee, maybe this was a mistake. I have two left feet!"

"You do not! John, don't get your panties all in a bunch. I'll show you. After all, you are with an instructor," Renee smiled.

The song "Save the Last Dance for Me" by Michael Buble began to play and Renee began to show John the basic footwork of the tango.

_"So don't forget who's taking you home/Or in whose arms you're gonna be/So darling, Save the last dance for me..."_

* * *

><p><strong>"Quando Quando Quando" by Michael Buble<strong>

"_Tell me when will you be mine/Tell me quando quando quando/We can share a love divine/Please don't make me wait again…"_

"So this is where you've been going all these Saturday nights? What do you do here anyways?" John asked. John had finally learned the basics and it was just John and Renee along with a couple of other couples on the floor now as they tangoed to the soft sounds of "Quando, Quando, Quando" by Michael Buble and Nelly Furtado.

"Yeah. I'm a dance instructor. I started coming to these when I was a freshmen in high school. My mom saw an ad in the paper and thought it would be good for my shyness or whatever. During junior year, Rastio asked me to be an instructor and teach a couple of classes with him. It's really not even in a class though. We should the basics and then everyone is allowed to dance all they want. And for the record, you have nothing to worry about. Sarah is Rastio's wife and they're very happy together," Renee explained. Finally the mystery was unraveled!

"Why didn't you just tell me where you were going in the first place?" John asked, a goofy smile on his face.

"I don't know. I guess I thought you'd make fun of me for it and pull out a Swayze reference," Renee replied.

"Haha. Swayze…" John chuckled.

"See what I mean?" Renee asked. "I didn't think you'd care. It's not something that I thought would interest you."

John shrugged, "You know, normally I'd say that dancing wasn't really my thing but right now it doesn't seem too bad."

"_When will you say yes to me/Tell me quando quando quando/You mean happiness to me/Oh my love please tell me when…"_

"You're surprisingly a lot better at it then I thought you'd be," Renee admitted.

"Oh yeah?" John asked.

"Yeah," Renee answered.

"Plus, you looked pretty hot doing all those tango moves when I first got here," John said.

"Thank you?" Renee answered, not even quite sure how to take that.

"I'm serious!" John said back.

"Okay," Renee giggled. "So what exactly did you think I was doing Saturday nights?"

John shrugged, "I thought maybe you were seeing someone else. I honestly didn't know what you were doing. That's kind of why I followed you here! I mean, who knows? You could be selling crack on the street or something!"

Renee laughed, "Well, this is definitely better than crack, right?"

"Yes. Definitely better although I wasn't too happy about that Rastio guy having his hands all over you," John said.

"It's just dancing," Renee said.

"I know, I know," John sighed.

_"Every moments a day/Every day seems a lifetime/Let me show you the way/To a joy beyond compare…"_

"So are you going to hold this against me for the rest of my life?" John asked, after a long, comfortable silence between the two as they just danced together, holding each other in their arms.

"Oh yeah," Renee replied.

"Oh God… why am I such an idiot?" John groaned.

"Well, you're a very sweet, charming idiot if it helps," Renee added.

"So how long do these classes go on for because I don't know if I can take another rejection from you? That or I'll just have to stop asking you out on Saturday nights," John asked.

Renee laughed, "Just till mid-October. Then I'll go back to assisting the Tuesday night classes."

"Which is good because I don't think we'll have dates on Tuesday nights," John added.

"No," Renee smiled. "I'm glad you came, John, even if you did follow me here at of your crazy need for answers." John laughed.

"I am too," he answered, leaning in to kiss her. Renee met him halfway, kissing him too. They were too lovesick teenagers at the moment and neither of them really cared.

"_I can't wait a moment more/Tell me quando quando quando/Say it's me that you adore/And then darling tell me when…"_

* * *

><p>"The prodigal son returns," Meredith said, as John walked in to the house. John set his keys down on the little stand next to the door and locked the door behind him. Meredith had just gotten up to get the stuff she left by the door earlier today.<p>

"Sorry. I got kinda tied up," John replied.

"Oh really?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah. It's a long story. Let's just say I'm an idiot and because of that, I learned how to tango," John chuckled.

"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it later. It's good you're home in time. We were beginning to wonder whether you were even going to make our late dinner," Meredith replied, a small laugh escaping her lips. She could already tell how different John was now that he was with Renee. He just seemed happier. Weeks ago, dancing in general would be hell for him, but she could tell that John really liked Renee. She wasn't quite sure what the tango had to do with it, but someone would fill her in later.

"Oh, I totally forgot someone texted me about dinner votes. What did we end up getting anyways?" John asked as he followed his mom to the living room. In the living room, they had pushed back the couch and pushed the coffee table to the side so that there was a big space for them to sit at. Victoria was curled up with a blanket and Flynn sat Indian style on.

"Thank God, you're here. I would've started without you but Mom said we couldn't unless we heard from you," Flynn groaned.

"Come on, John. We got Thai food," Victoria encouraged.

"Sweet," John smiled, sitting down.

"Alright, I've got the paper plates. Did someone get the plastic ware?" Dean asked, sitting down on the living room floor, their takeout cartons spread out across a towel in the middle of the room.

"Right here, Dad," Victoria reminded, holding up the cardboard box with the plastic utensils in it.

"God, I'm getting old," Dean mumbled to himself. Meredith just chuckled, giving his knee a squeeze. Dean grabbed Meredith's hand and the two exchanged glances. Flynn had his camera, snapping away at their family moments.

"Alright, who's hungry because I'm starving?" John asked.

"You're always hungry," Flynn replied.

"Shut up, you are too!" John said back.

"Boys," Victoria said, rolling her eyes.

Meredith smiled. This is why she loved family time so much.


	15. Good Life

It was Wednesday afternoon and John and Renee were at John's house, having another one of their tutoring sessions. Renee felt bad because they kept getting off task, but she honestly didn't mind since their unproductiveness always led to kisses and well, she couldn't exactly complain about that. John finished a problem, his eyes lighting up as he checked the back of the book for the answer.

"Hey, I got it right!" he smiled, looking over at Renee.

"That's great," Renee smiled back. John looked at her once more before returning to his homework. Renee continued to look at John and she giggled.

"What?" John asked.

"Nothing," Renee said back.

"No, you giggled. That definitely wasn't nothing," John replied, dropping his pencil and looking back at her.

"I-," Renee started, rolling her eyes, although she couldn't help but smile. "It's just I love that look you get on your face when you get a problem right. Huh. I never could really say that before but now I can. It's kind of nice."

"Yeah, you can, now that you're my girlfriend," John smiled.

"Am I?" Renee asked back.

"Wait, is this some kind of reverse psychology thing?" John asked, withdrawing a little.

Renee laughed, "No, I'm asking it seriously. I mean, we haven't really defined what we are yet. I don't know if we're still in the trial period or what."

"The trial period?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. God, his charm was so irresistible. That was one of the things that Renee hated and loved about him.

"Yeah, you know the period where we're just kind of dating and still trying to figure out whether we'd be good for each other or not," Renee explained .

"Well, am I passing?" John asked.

Renee chuckled, "Yes."

"Good, because I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't," John replied. John leaned in, leaving a soft, sweet kiss on her lips.

"And with that kiss, you're passing with flying colors," Renee smiled, leaning in for another kiss.

"So how about we just end the trial period now and you agree to be my girl?" John asked.

Renee laughed, "What is this? The 1950s?"

"No, it would be the 1950s if I asked you to go steady with me," John replied.

"Yes, it would. So you really want to be official?" Renee asked, trying to hide her surprise in the question. She could still barely believe that John wanted to be official. He was usually the no strings attached kind of guy, but here he was, asking her to be official. She still couldn't get over it. Then again, she worried a little since this would be John's first real, official relationship. Would it just be this big trial and error thing? She brushed the thoughts from her head. She was thinking too much. She liked this guy a lot and she just had to trust him!

"Yeah," John shrugged.

"Alright," Renee answered.

"Really?" John asked.

"Yeah. I'll be your… girl, or whatever," Renee said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Awesome," John said, finally closing the gap between them and kissing her again.

* * *

><p>Jude sat in his apartment at college, playing his old guitar that he rarely used anymore. It had become more of a decoration but it was only because he didn't have much time to use it. He had just gotten out of class and went back to his dorm to decompress before dinner. He had been messing around with the guitar for a while when he cell phone began to vibrate. He stopped playing and picked up his phone, his eyes widening when saw who it was. He had never expected that.<p>

"Hi," Jude said, sitting up.

"Hey, it's Anna," the voice on the other line said.

"Oh, yeah, I know. I mean… caller ID," Jude chuckled.

"Right," the girl laughed. "Anyways, I know it's been a while and I know that you left on some… weird terms but I was wondering if you had time to talk."

"Uh, yeah. Right now?" Jude asked back.

"Yeah… listen, Jude, there's something I should tell you. I'm um… I'm here," Anna started.

"Wait, what do you mean by here?" Jude asked.

"I mean, I'm here in Pennsylvania… at Drexel. I know I probably should've told you before but I just got to campus and, well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about," Anna replied.

"Anna… but how?" Jude asked, still in shock from the bombshell she dropped on him.

"Do you think we could do this in person?" she asked, hopeful.

"Yeah," Jude sighed.

"Thanks. I'm at a café right on campus. Java Jive?" Anna started.

"Okay, stay where you are. I'll be over there in a couple of minutes," Jude replied, before hanging up. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Part of him thought that maybe it was a trick and that he was imagining things, but he knew it wasn't. Jude got up, brought his key, wallet, and phone with him, before locking up the apartment and heading out. His apartment was on campus and it was only a short walk to the café that Anna was at.

He couldn't believe that he was here. Part of him was excited but the rest of him felt like it would only bring trouble, especially after the way they had left things. She knew way too much and their personal history could also get messy. Then again, that was the least of his worries at the moment. He pushed the door open to the café when he arrived, instantly spotting those dark curls. His stomach in knots, Jude headed over towards the table.

"Hi," he said, smiling weakly as he sat down.

"Hey. I got you some coffee… I hope your order hasn't changed since… a month ago," Anna said, nervously. It was so good to see him again. There was so much she wanted to say to him; so much she didn't get to say before he left.

She remembered the day all too clearly. She had finally collected herself and gotten her thoughts together. She'd finally recovered from that night in Peru to finally say something but when she went to find him, she learned he was gone. She felt horrible. All Jude was trying to do was help and she freaked out on him.

"Oh, thanks," Jude said, politely. She sat in a chair across from Anna at the small coffee table in the café.

"Thank you so much for meeting me like this. I figured it'd be better if we did this in person," Anna replied.

Jude nodded slowly, "I still can't believe you're here."

"Yeah, me either," Anna said, swallowing hard.

"Do you want to just… start from the beginning?" he asked.

"Sure," she started. "Well, you knew I was looking to transfer and I guess I forgot to tell you that I was thinking about Drexel. After you left… I ended up extending my stay for a couple more weeks but then I found out I got in so I called the university and they said it would be okay if I came to school a couple of weeks late, especially since I was earning credits for my degree. You left so quickly that I didn't get a chance to tell you. I wanted to Jude. Honestly, I did."

"Anna, I didn't leave early. I left when I was supposed to," Jude reminded, feeling unsettled.

"Yeah, well you didn't even say goodbye," Anna snapped.

Jude sighed, "Yeah, well, we weren't on great terms, now were we?"

"Jude, I'm sorry. I know I freaked out on you but after that… that thing-, spirit, whatever you want to clal it, attacked us-," Anna started.

"I was just doing my job, okay?" Jude snapped.

"Yeah, but after what you told me… I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that all of that is real, Jude. I mean, you dropped a bombshell on me that night!" Anna exclaimed, lowering her voice shortly after. She knew they were in public and that she didn't want to attract any attention to them.

"So you think I'm lying to you?" Jude asked defensively, raising an eyebrow. "Is that it?" He hated being so snappy with her, but it was his first instinct. Although he could understand where she was coming from, he was still mad at her. After that night, she wouldn't talk to him and kept saying she needed time to think.

"No! No, of course not. I saw it too, Jude. I saw everything... Look, I've had a lot of time to think and there's a lot that I've been meaning to tell you. I didn't know how to do it. I thought about writing you a letter or just calling but I felt like it would be better in person…" Anna trailed off.

"Look, I know you're having problems with the idea of it-," Jude started.

"That's not it! Would you just listen to me?" Anna asked, annoyed.

"Fine," Jude sighed.

"I just wanted to tell you that your secret's safe with me. I'm not-, I'm not going to tell anyone. I think what you and your family do is important. If there's stuff out there like that and you guys know about it, and you know how to stop it, I think it's a good thing. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for freaking out at you and I get it now," Anna explained.

"You do?" Jude asked, almost as surprised as he was when she told him that she was there on the Drexel campus.

He had never told anyone their family secret until he and Anna were out in the field rescuing someone. Bodies were dropping like flies and he began to realize that it may be something supernatural. He was going to go out alone, but Anna followed him and he had to gank the spirit right in front of her – of course, it put up a fight, which had been ten times worse that she was there. Afterwards, he told her what he was and what his family did and she freaked out on him. A couple of days later, his time at the clinic was up and he went back home.

"Yeah, I do. It still freaks me out and everything, but I do get it," Anna replied.

"Oh," Jude said.

"I also wanted to talk to sort out all the other stuff. I know we'll be in classes together and probably seeing a lot of each other so I just wanted to make sure that besides the… hunting stuff, that we were okay. I promise I didn't follow you here. I'm not going to bother you, okay? I'm not going to let our personal history get in the way of things. I know how serious you are about your studies and so am I. I just hope we can be friends and both operate on a professional level here, together," Anna said back.

Jude nodded before saying, "Yeah of course," like it was a given.

"What happened in Peru will stay in Peru. I promise. I'm sure you never dreamed about your summer fling showing up at your school for her senior year, now did you?" Anna chuckled.

"I will admit it's a little wild," Jude said.

She smiled, "It's good to talk to you again. I didn't want to leave it the way it was between us when you went back home."

"I know… I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say to you and you weren't talking to me," Jude admitted.

"I didn't know what to say to you either!" Anna added.

"Yeah. I guess I just felt like you deserved to know the truth after what you had seen that night. I know it was a lot to take in…" Jude said.

Anna nodded, "No, thank you for that. You would've left me with a lot of questions if you hadn't been honest with me."

"I figured leaving you with questions wouldn't exactly be the best idea either," Jude chuckled.

"Hey, this coffee sucks," Anna noticed, changing the subject as she began to drink her coffee.

"Yeah, it does," Jude chuckled. "The stuff in Peru was way better!"

"Agreed. Oh, by the way, Dr. Montgomery wanted me to say 'hi'. She always liked how quick you could think on your feet out there," Anna started, remembering the other things she had made a mental note to tell Jude when she finally talked to him again. This didn't seem so bad. She had spent so much time missing him once he left, but here she was and here and so was he, so now she could stop missing him. She was curious about how this was going to go though. Were they going to be able to be friends or would things get too complicated?

"Oh, uh, thanks. Do you ever miss it sometimes?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, ever since I got back I've been missing it like crazy!" Anna replied, smiling. Jude smiled back. When he first found out that Anna was here, he thought it would be hell, but maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. He sat there and continued to talk to her and began to realize how much he had missed her. After he got back he was still mad and even a little disappointed that he had forgotten all about missing her.

* * *

><p>Later that night, around sunset, when all of their homework was finished, the twins climbed up on the roof of their house. They had done it a couple of times before and there was a cool breeze that night, so they figured it would be a good idea. Victoria spotted John and Renee saying goodbye.<p>

"See? I told you she'd be perfect for him," Victoria started.

"You know, I can't disagree with you there. John's been pretty freaking happy these past few days. Let's just hope it lasts," Flynn replied.

Victoria nodded, "So speaking of girlfriends. How's yours?"

"Good. We're going to the art museum to see one of their documentaries this weekend," Flynn said.

"Oh, the one about world war one? Tyler and I were talking about seeing that one too," Victoria said back.

"You and Tyler," Flynn chuckled.

"What?" Victoria asked, shooting a look over at her brother.

"Nothing, it's just you two have been getting very close recently," Flynn hinted.

"We're friends!" Victoria protested.

"Yeah, but you want to be more," Flynn said. Judging by the look on his sister's face, he knew that she did want to be more. "And just from a guy's prospective, but I think he wants to be more too, Vi. Then again, what do I know? I'm just a guy!"

"You have to say that. You're my brother," Victoria pointed out.

"Actually, I don't. Whenever I'm over there anyways, he always asks if I brought you with me. Hah, like I'm going to bring my sister on my date. That would be-," Flynn started.

"Almost as weird as when Mom and Dad have their moments in front of us. Can we just talk about the one in the hunting center last Saturday?" Victoria asked.

"Let's not. That's just weird," Flynn said.

"Yeah, you're right. It is weird," Victoria chuckled.

"You know… if you do like Tyler, I think you should go for it," Flynn said.

"You do?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, I do. Taking a chance worked for me and it looks like it worked for John too. Besides, we're Winchesters! We have to take chances," Flynn added.

Victoria chuckled, "You're right, we are Winchesters."

Victoria and Flynn sat outside on the roof for a while, just talking about random nonsense.

"Oh my God, I love it when Mom and Ethan put on their old music during Thanksgiving and embarrassingly dance to it. It's always so funny!" Flynn laughed.

"Do you believe in life after love!" Victoria sang, doing her best Cher impression.

"No, no, no! Cher sounds more like this," Flynn said, clearing his throat, before beginning to sing the chorus to "Believe." Victoria laughed at her brother's way too accurate Cher impression.

"Okay, you do that way too well. Are you sure you're not gay?" Victoria teased.

"Shut up. Yes, I'm positive," Flynn replied.

Just then, there was a tapping on Victoria's half open window as John poked his head out of the window to see the twins sitting on the roof.

"Hey, Mom says dinner's ready," John said.

"Okay," Victoria answered. John left the room, heading downstairs while Victoria and Flynn climbed back through the window. Victoria shut the window, locking it. "Can't be too careful, right?"

"Yeah. If Mom and Dad taught us anything…" Flynn replied.

"Come on," Victoria encouraged, heading downstairs, Flynn close behind her.

"Thanks for setting the table, John," Meredith said, surprised. She hadn't even had to ask her son to set the table. He ended up just doing it.

"Hi, beautiful," Dean said to Meredith, his hands on her hips as he slipped by her.

"Hi, handsome," she smiled back. Dean leaned in once, kissing her quickly before they finished getting dinner ready.

John went to get a glass of water, filling it up with tap water and walking back to the table. The twins had sat down already along with Meredith. Dean was getting a drink for him and his wife while John was about to sit down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move outside and he stopped. He could only see a figure of someone. John dropped his class as he could feel its black eyes on him. The thing, realizing that John had seen it, instantly disappeared.

"John, are you okay?" Meredith asked.

"Oh shoot!" John exclaimed, as the water spilled everywhere.

"It's alright. I'll go get some paper towels," Meredith started, getting up.

Victoria was about to make a comment when she saw the panicked look on John's face. He looked like he had just seen a ghost or something, "John, what happened? Are you okay?"

Meredith came back with paper towels in her hands, bending down to help clean up the water, "Did you see something?"

"No. I don't know. I could've just been imagining things," John stammered. Dean and Meredith exchanged glances. They knew that in their world, there was little chance at it being an imagination and much more likely that something had been watching them.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I know I keep giving you guys new characters but I thought it would be a good idea to introduce them in increments instead of throwing them all at you at once! Exciting things are about to happen very soon :)


	16. Little Romance

Author's Note: Please listen to "Little Romance" by Ingrid Michaelson for the beginning after Cole and Greer's first scene.

* * *

><p>Greer pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she shivered in the October air.<p>

"You thirsty?" Greer asked, pulling out a beer from her cooler up on top of the roof at the school. It was late Sunday night, but Cole had snuck out to meet Greer at her thinking place. He was pretty sure that one of these days they'd get caught but he kept hanging out with her. Each time, it always scared the hell out of him, but it was worth it.

"I'm good, thanks," Cole replied, shaking his head.

"Wow, I'm working on my second," Greer chuckled.

"Yeah, and you should probably stop soon because you're the only one that knows how to get out of this place without setting off any alarms. Can have you drunk, now can we?" Cole asked, taking the beer can away from her.

"I was done anyways," she defended playfully.

"Good. Then I guess you won't be needing this after all," Cole said, chucking the can over his shoulder and off the roof. He could feel that there was still some liquor left in the can but he didn't care.

"Cole!" Greer exclaimed.

"I thought you said you were done," Cole said.

"I was," Greer said, crossing her arms over her chest. Cole leaned over the ledge to see the empty can on the ground and the spilled beer on the concrete in a perfect splat shape.

"Too bad it's gone now," Cole teased.

"Do you know how bad that is for the environment? You probably just killed two trees. Way to go, genius," Greer replied, crossly.

"Since when do you care about the environment?" Cole asked.

"Shut up," Greer replied, narrowing her eyes at him. She stared at him for a moment, still cross with him for taking her beer away, before going back to sit on the futon. She looked up at him. "Are you going to join me or not?"

"Okay," Cole chuckled, walking over and sitting down next to her. Greer leaned her head on his shoulder and Cole looked over at her, curious. Why had she done that? She wasn't usually "touchy feely" type so it just caught him off guard.

"What? I'm cold," Greer asked, the look on her face saying, 'are you really going to question this right now?'

"Okay," Cole replied, unconvinced. Instead of poking fun at her, he just slipped his arm around her shoulders, trying to warm her up a little. Greer didn't protest at all. This felt good right here. She just didn't know how long it'd be able to last. I mean, it hadn't even made its way up to anything yet, but whatever they had now was enough for her. It would be easier to say goodbye when the time came.

"You know what? I am freezing. Maybe if I just have another beer it'll warm me up. Damn, I should've brought some whiskey up here," Greer muttered to herself, beginning to get up.

"Uh uh. I think you have had way too much tonight," Cole said, grabbing her by her waist and bring her down to futon.

"Cole!" She exclaimed, struggling out of his arms.

"Uh uh. You are going to sit your ass down right now," Cole demanded.

"Thanks, Dad," Greer said back, sarcastically.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you, okay? And myself. I'd like to be able to get out of here by the end of the night, okay?" Cole teased.

Greer laughed, "You're funny, Cole. I like funny guys."

"You do, do you?" Cole asked, charmingly.

"Yeah," Greer smiled. There was a silence between them where Cole didn't know whether or not she was going to kiss him. The two leaned in closer to each other, their face inching closer when suddenly, there was a strong wind that came out of nowhere. Greer and Cole practically sprang apart as Greer realized what had almost just happened. "Hey, I should get going." She stood up, brushing herself off.

"Is everything alright?" Cole asked, concerned. The boy was confused! One minute she was about to kiss him and the next she was leaving?

"Yeah, it's fine. I just… I need to go. It's late," Greer replied.

"Okay…" Cole trailed off. He didn't know how to do this anymore because things were getting so hot and cold between them. He just wished it would stick to one.

* * *

><p>"<em>You're in the mood for loveYou're in the mood to dance/You're in the mood for a little romance/You're in the mood for love…"_

The next day, it was almost a week before Halloween, and the whole school was lit up with excitement for their school's big Halloween event. Paige sauntered over to Flynn that morning in their first period class they had together. It was an English class and Flynn, Haley, and Victoria all had it together. Flynn was early to class and was looking over his notes before class started.

"Hey, you," Paige said, cheerfully, kissing Flynn on the cheek and then taking a seat next to him in the desk.

"Uh oh," Flynn said back with a small chuckle.

"What?" Paige asked.

"Someone wants to go to that silly Halloween masquerade party, huh?" Flynn chuckled.

Paige gasped, "Silly? It is not silly!"

"Yes, it is," Flynn replied, softly.

"Oh come on, Flynn. It'll be fun! We'll get to hang out with our friends and get all dressed up and slow dance. Everyone will be there! Sam and Kristy are going. Owen is going too and I think he was even thinking about asking Haley. Please," Paige coaxed, hopefully. She really hoped that Flynn would come around because she really wanted to go to this dance and she didn't want to go without him. Flynn sighed, turning to her. Flynn could tell how much she wanted to go.

"Alright, but I'm going to precede this by telling you that I'm a horrible dancer. You can say I didn't warn you when I step on your feet," Flynn said, giving in. He knew she really wanted to go and wouldn't mind since it was so important to her.

"Yes, thank you!" Paige smiled, her eyes lighting up.

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?" Flynn asked.

"Yes! Not only do we get to dress up, but we get to wear masks and everything, which is pretty cool, if you ask me," Paige replied.

"Alright, alright. Maybe it's not so lame," Flynn chuckled.

"I knew you'd come around," Paige smiled. Just then, Haley and Victoria walked into the room, taking their seats in class. The teacher was at the front of the class, getting ready to start class in only a few minutes. Haley sat in front of Flynn while Victoria sat in front of Paige. It was like their own little square in the middle of the room. "Hey, Haley, you're not going to the masquerade with anyone yet, right?"

"Uh, no, why?" Haley asked back.

"Just wondering," Paige replied, giddy with excitement. She loved this kind of stuff. She couldn't wait to dress shopping and everything. She also loved seeing couples get together just in time for the masquerade, or even at the masquerade. She was a hopeless romantic. She couldn't help herself. She was just glad that she had a steady guy to go with. She was really starting to like Flynn.

_"I see you pressed those pants/I see you styled that hair/There doesn't seem to be much of it there/You're in the mood to dance…"_

Victoria sat down in her fourth period class. Tyler was already there and he was just getting his notebooks out.

"Hey," she greeted, setting her stuff down and beginning to take out her stuff as well.

"Hey," Tyler smiled.

"Oh my God, I got this gorgeous purple dress the other day. So cute! Here let me show you a picture," one girl squealed as a big group of girls filled into the classroom, taking their seats behind Tyler and Victoria's lab table. Victoria rolled her, laughing a little. She thought this whole masquerade thing was a little dumb and hated how crazy girls got over school dances.

"What?" Tyler asked.

"Nothing. I feel like something's wrong with me. I just don't get the whole giddy, obnoxiously girly school dance thing," Victoria replied.

"I completely agree with that. I mean, I'm all for school dances but it's really not that big of a deal," Tyler concurred.

"Exactly! People are getting crazier and crazier," Victoria sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. So do you think you're even going to go to the masquerade?" Tyler asked.

Victoria shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe."

"Yeah, same," Tyler said, trying to get out the words that he actually wanted to say. He knew he had to take his chance when he could and right now seemed like a good chance.

"I don't know. It sounded kind of lame but then again it doesn't seem terrible. I always like a good excuse to get dressed up and be classy. It's just not a big deal to me. I don't sit there and think about it and talk about it every second of every day," Victoria said, the last part, sarcastically.

"What, like my sister?" Tyler asked, a smile playing on his face.

"I didn't want to say it, but yeah. She's been talking about it for weeks now," Victoria admitted.

"Yeah, she's like that. Has he asked her yet?" Tyler asked.

"This morning, Flynn told me that they kind of just agreed to go together," Victoria replied.

"You know, crazy idea, but maybe this thing wouldn't be half as bad if we went together. Like you said, it's an excuse to get dressed up and be classy and uh, we could dance; make fun of all of the other couples that are grasping on to each other like it's the end of the world," Tyler said, throwing some humor into his question. He knew that would reach Victoria.

Victoria laughed, "At least those cheesy couples serve one good purpose."

"Yes," Tyler laughed.

"Alright, yeah. It's… not the worst idea you've had," Victoria joked, biting her lip a little bit. "You're right. It will definitely suck a little less if we go together."

"Alright. It's a date then," Tyler said, chuckling to himself.

"A date," Victoria repeated softly to herself. She was 100% okay with that.

_"Can I have this chance/to be your little romance?/Can I have this dance?/I'm in the mood for love…"_

Renee was walking to her locker to put her stuff away at lunch when she stopped in the middle of her pathway, seeing John leaning up against her locker with a flower in his mouth a cheeky smile on her face.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to fight her laughter. She walked towards him, taking the flower out of his mouth.

"Well I figured since I learned how to tango I was allowed to do that. You know, like all those people do in the movies when they tango and shit," John said.

Renee laughed, "You are ridiculous, you know that?"

"Yeah, but you like it," John teased, leaning in to kiss her. He kissed her once before pulling away. He knew Renee wasn't a huge fan of PDA so he always tried to keep it to a minimum although all he really wanted to do was push her up against the locker and kiss her for the rest of the lunch period.

"I do," Renee giggled, pulling away from him.

"So I was wondering, now that you're free on Saturday nights, if you would go to the masquerade with me," John said, charmingly boyish as ever.

"So that's what this is about," Renee started.

"Yes," John said, handing her the flower.

Renee gasped, just realizing what kind of flower it was, "Oh my God. Gerber daisies! How did you know?"

"I may have asked your mom for advice," John shrugged.

"You are too cute, you know that?" Renee asked, leaning in for another kiss. John kissed her once before pulling away.

"Is that a yes?" he asked.

She giggled, "That's definitely a yes."

"So what's with this new turn around? I figured you wouldn't be keen on the whole masquerade idea," Renee said. The two began walking down the hall together. John slipped his hand in hers and they made their way towards the cafeteria, hand in hand.

"What? What're you talking about?" John asked Renee, as if she was crazy.

"Uh, last year at the school's big Halloween event, you and your friends showed up for like thirty minutes and then went to someone's house and got wasted," Renee pointed out.

"True, but now that I have a girlfriend I figured it'd be a better idea to take her to this silly dance thing instead of getting wasted with the guys. Besides, I'd much rather spend the night with a pretty girl instead of my drunk friends," John answered simply.

"Hah, I'm glad that I'm better than your drunk friends," Renee chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully.

"You definitely are," John smirked, looking Renee up and down.

"Ew, okay stop that!" Renee exclaimed, giggling and shoving him playfully. John's hand slipped from Renee's as he staggered sideways a little.

"What am I doing?" John asked, innocently, returning to her side.

"You're giving me that- that look where I feel like you're undressing me with your eyes!" Renee said.

"Oh, I am," John smirked, proudly.

"John," Renee groaned.

"Yes?"

"You are a piece of work, you know that?"

"Yes."

Renee sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

"I can think of a lot of things," John said.

"Quit it," Renee said. John threw his arm around her as they entered the cafeteria, spotting the rest of the Winchesters as they went over to sit with them.

_"I'm all dressed up tonight/I've waited all night long/When will they finally play your song?/I'm in the mood to dance…"_

As Haley got to the lunch table, she spotted Owen sitting with them. He had been sitting with them and his friend Sam for a couple of days now and it was starting to turn into a habit. She tried not to think anything of it, but she had to be a little suspicious.

Haley sat down towards the end of the table, opposite end that Owen was sitting at.

"Hey, I'll be right back," Haley said, setting her stuff down next to her cousin and heading towards the lunch line to buy food. Halfway through lunch, Haley was talking to Victoria, deep in conversation when she felt something hit her head. "Ow!" She saw a folded up piece of notebook paper and picked it up, searching for the direction it came in. Owen looked at her, motioning for her to open it up. She shot him a funny glance but opened up the note anyways. It read: Go with me the Halloween masquerade? Check: Yes. No. Maybe.

"What is it?" Victoria asked, curiously peering over Haley's shoulder and looking at the note. "Oh my God, did Owen just ask you?"

"Yeah," Haley said. The two girls exchanged glances, looking at Owen. "No, don't look now!"

"Sorry," Victoria whispered. "Well, what're you going to say?"

"I don't know. I don't really know him that well…" Haley trailed off.

"Yeah, but you could get to know him. Besides, I don't want it to be stuck with going with just Flynn and Paige as a couple," Victoria replied.

"Wait did Tyler ask you?" Haley asked. Victoria blushed, nodding. "See? I knew he liked you!"

"Yeah, whatever, we're talking about you right now. I think you should say yes. The guy obvious likes you and he's cute. You could get to know him," Victoria pointed out.

"That's true," Haley said. She thought it over for a moment before checking a box, folding it back up and throwing it back at Owen, hitting his head.

"She's into a football and she's got good aim. I knew there was something I liked about this girl," the girls heard Owen say to Flynn. Owen opened up the note, seeing the answer. He turned around, smiling over at Haley and Haley shrugged a little smiling.

_" If it's the only chance I get/If it's the only chance, then get/ready to throw your shoes away/for I will sweep, sweep, sweep/you off your feet/I will sweep, sweep, sweep/you off your feet/to be your little romance…"_

After school, Cole found Greer curled up with a book in the courtyard. She sat on a bench alone, deep into the book.

"Mind if I sit?" Cole asked, scaring Greer. She practically jumped out of her skin when she heard his voice.

"Oh, no, go ahead," she replied.

"You okay? You seem a little jumpy today," Cole asked, concerned.

"I'm fine," Greer said, inching a little further away from him. Cole noticed this immediately and wasn't sure what to do.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Cole asked.

"Sure," Greer answered, hesitantly.

"I- uh, well there's this thing at school: the masquerade ball. I wasn't really thinking about going or anything but then I thought of you and wondered if you might wanna go…" Cole trailed off.

She sighed, "I'd love to. I would… I just can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Cole asked. There it was again. The whole hot and cold thing. He didn't know what to do anymore about it but confront her.

"I just can't," Greer replied.

"Why? Is it-, is this about what happened last night, when we almost kissed?" Cole asked, reaching out to her. Greer jumped up, away from, desperate to get away from him. She knew if he touched her, she'd say yes and cave but she couldn't. She had to be strong. It was for his own good.

"It's not like that at all," Greer said, shaking her head.

"Then what is it like, Greer? Tell me!" Cole demanded.

"I-," Greer said, but she couldn't. "I'm sorry, Cole, but I just can't. I've got to go."

"What? You just-," Cole started.

"I'm sorry!" Greer said, cutting him off. She grabbed her stuff and hurried away from him, to her car. Cole just sat there on the bench, completely at loss. Maybe it was just time to give up on her. One minute she's into it and the next she's fleeing.

Greer let a big sob out as she got to her car. She couldn't do this anymore. She had to get out of there. There was no way she was going to lose someone else. She wouldn't put him in danger. Greer adjusted her rearview mirror in preparation to drive and jumped when she saw someone in the backseat. The man smiled coolly, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"Hey, sis. We need to talk," was all he said.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I hope you don't mind that the majority of this chapter just jumped around to the different couples. That's kind of how I wanted it to go. By the way, the song in the chapter is Little Romance by Ingrid Michaelson.<p> 


	17. The Truth

**Author's Note:** Update finally! I know :). I just started getting busy again but I should be getting some updates up soon.

* * *

><p>Greer parallel parked right across from the record store that she had been instructed to go to and got out of her car, locking it. She jogged over to the store, pulling the door open and walking in. There, she found Cole flipping through some records alone. She knew that she was probably the last person that he wanted to see, but it was time to come clean with him. She couldn't do it anymore and hopefully this would fix at least part of the relationship they had been building for the past couple of months.<p>

"Hey," Greer said, approaching him.

Cole looked at her once before returning to flipping through the records and mumbling, "Hey."

"Your mom said I could find you here," Greer said. She felt horrible that he seemed so angry and that she was the cause of that. She also hated the fact that she was asking for his help. She didn't want to put him in danger but she didn't know who to turn to. It was better to warn them, right?

"Well, maybe I should start lying to her," Cole replied, coldly. After today, he realized that he needed to make a choice. He couldn't keep playing that hot and cold game with her anymore. He was done and he needed to show her that he was. He had to show her that she couldn't do that with him anymore and that he was sick of it.

"Look, I'm sorry, Cole," Greer said, trying to keep it together.

"Okay," Cole said, carelessly.

"Look, we need to talk. Please," Greer begged. Cole looked up, noticing the desperate tone in her voice. "This is serious, Cole. It's not-, I'm not kidding here." That's when Cole noticed her bloodshot eyes. Had she been crying? He had a feeling that what she needed to talk to him about was a lot bigger than what was going on between the two of them. Was she having hunting problems or something? No matter how angry he was with her, he knew he was going to help her.

"Alright, talk," Cole said, flatly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Not here," Greer said, a wave of relief washing over her.

"Where?" Cole asked.

"Do you think we could go some place quiet? I don't know. We could go to my car or something," Greer suggested.

"Sure," Cole said. He got off of the park bench that he was sitting on and followed her back to her car. "What's going on, Greer? Is everything okay?"

"No," Greer answered. She left the answer short and sweet until she gathered her thoughts. "I-, I know it's stupid, but uh, my brother's back."

"Is he hurting you?" Cole asked, panicked.

"No… not yet at least," Greer admitted. Cole waited in silence for her to continue. She avoided eye contact as she continued. "Look, this is a lot. Do you have time?"

Cole sighed. He hated that he felt like he needed to be there for her all the time, especially when she couldn't even give him a straight answer, "Yeah, I do."

"Okay," Greer said, taking a deep breath. Greer took a moment to collect her thoughts before explaining what she had come here to say. "When Dylan came back, after Dad died, I knew he was different. I mean, there was just something about him… he was colder. I wasn't even quite sure what it was, but I knew something was wrong. So then two years ago, we were on a hunt and he was exorcising a demon and the demon was saying something about how he recognized him and how this was a traitor to their race or something and I had no idea what was going on. I asked him and of course he denied it but I just didn't trust him. I began to look into him, you know, researching and stuff and found a newspaper obituary saying that he had died."

"What do you mean?" Cole asked, listening to every word.

"Wait, just listen. So I kept the article with me and uh, he found it. You can't even imagine how angry he got when he found it… We got in a fight and he showed me. He-, his eyes turned black and he showed me he was a demon. I knew that I should've tried to exorcise him or kill him, but I just couldn't. He was my brother and… he stormed out but when he came back he was apologizing and he kept talking about how important family was and- he's all I have left, Cole. I just couldn't do it. So I lived with him and we moved around a lot. Finally, about six months ago, he left and sporadically comes back to visit. Now he says he's back for good and that we're going to be a real family. But he said that there's cost," Greer started, her voice shaky. She didn't know how to say this but she was just going to say it.

"What kind of cost?" Cole asked, panicked.

"He wants me to kill you," Greer said, her eyes watering up and her voice beginning to shake again. Cole's heart froze. What the hell?

"What? What do you mean? Is he still here?" Cole asked.

"No. No, he said he'd come back this Saturday and that we'd do it together. He said that we had to kill the Winchesters and then we'd be a family again. I can't, Cole. I just can't… but I can't hurt him either. He's my brother," she said, beginning to cry.

"Greer…" Cole said, taking her in his arms and just letting him cry.

"Cole, I need you to help me. I need you to help me stop him because I know it's bad. I know what he's doing is bad and the people he's been working with for the last six months are bad and… I can't do it alone, Cole," Greer said.

"Okay. Yeah, I'll help," Cole replied.

"Thank you," she sighed.

"If you don't mind me asking, why us? Why kill us?" Cole asked.

Greer sniffled, trying to collect herself again, "Well uh, apparently your grandfather and mine go way back. John Winchester and my grandfather Andy were on a hunt together and the way my dad tells it, John got Andy killed. John was apparently reckless and he stopped at nothing that got in the way. So our dads have crossed paths a couple of times but the name Winchester has never been a good name in our household."

"I'm sorry if-," Cole started.

"No, you're not to blame. Who knows if it's even true anyways? It's kind of been somewhat of an age old family feud now so when I saw you… well, that's why I said something but then I got to know you and… and Cole, I got to know how amazing you are and that- that my family's wrong about you guys," Greer stammered.

"How do I know you're not just lying to me?" Cole asked.

Greer shook her head, "I don't know. You're just going to have to trust me on this one."

"Greer that doesn't really-," Cole started.

"Because I've been pushing you away. I was afraid that if I got too close to you that Dylan would come back and try to hurt you guys since I know there's some trouble between our families. I-, I've been so hot and cold because I don't want you to get in the middle of this," Greer said, cutting him off.

Cole hesitated, but knew he was going to have to trust her on this one, "Okay. I think we need to call someone though."

* * *

><p>"Okay, let me get this straight. Your psycho demon brother, who you couldn't kill for the last four years is now trying to hurt our family so you want our help to kill him?" John asked, pacing back and forth.<p>

"Well, when you put it that way…" Cole trailed off.

"Essentially, yes," Greer said.

"How do we know you're not lying?" John asked, crossing his arms over his chest and stood still, staring Greer down.

"Funny. Cole asked me the same thing. Why would I come to you guys for help to kill my own brother if I was trying to trick you?" Greer asked.

"I don't know. Oh, to gain our trust before stabbing us in the backs," John replied.

"Sorry about him," Cole apologized.

"No, it's okay. He has every reason not to trust me," Greer replied. She took a deep breath. "Listen, John, I know you may not trust me and you have ever right not to, but I do want to help."

"Hunters lie," John pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that. I don't know what it's going to take to prove to you that I'm not lying? Haven't you felt like someone's been watching you? I'm not making this up here and I'm not doing this just to gain your trust and then… stab you in the back. Look, if you think it's about the demon killing knife, I've got one of my own so you don't need to worry about that," Greer replied.

"Wait, what?" John asked.

"It's right here," Greer replied, pulling out the knife and showing it to him. "You can look, if you want to." She handed it to him and John examined the knife. It looked just like the one that his parents had in their house and had said was for emergencies only.

"I don't like this, but I'll do it. And if you give us any reason to think that this is all a trap, we will turn on you in a second," John replied, harshly. Cole shot John a glare and John rolled his eyes. "Fine, I will turn on you in a second. This guy here is too nice." Cole scowled as John stood there. "So are you two just going to sit here or are we going to come up with a plan?"

"See, I knew he'd come around," Cole said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Thank you," Greer said. "I know you don't trust me, but thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm doing it for my family… and this guy here. It's obvious he had a big crush on you," John said, smacking Cole on the shoulder.

"John!" Cole exclaimed.

"It's alright," Greer chuckled.

"So you're brother Dylan said he'd be coming back next Saturday, right?" John asked.

"Halloween," Cole said.

"Yeah," Greer answered.

"Well, we'll all be at the masquerade. Oh God, it's perfect. We'll all be there. It's like… way to get us all in one place so you can kill us. Sorry. Anyways, so we'll all be there… safety in numbers is best. I assume you two are going together?" John asked.

"Um…" Cole started, remembering the awkward and painful conversation they had had earlier at school today.

"Yes," Greer interjected.

"Nice, man!" John said, offering his hand out for a high five. Cole just glared at him. "Right, and I'm being inappropriate again. Anyways, wait. Question: Why is it that your brother's coming back on Halloween?"

"Yeah, that is a good question," Cole pointed out.

"I don't know. There are so many myths and legends about Halloween… I feel like we should do some research first," Greer suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Cole said.

"Research," John grumbled. "Damn it. Shouldn't have even asked."

* * *

><p>I had been a couple of days since John, Cole, and Greer first started working together on the whole "Greer's brother" problem. John felt like all of the training and research he had done at the center was finally paying off. Now he'd get to use it. It was exciting and terrifying all at the same time.<p>

"Okay, love birds. Let's get back to work," John said, coming into the room where Cole and Greer were sitting, talking in low voices. They all had gone back to Greer's motel room to do some research. John had been suspicious that it might be a trap, but nothing had happened so far and he sure as hell wasn't going to take her back to their house. He didn't trust her, but he wanted to – for Cole. They seemed really intimate and it was just too uncomfortable for John. "I got something."

"You did?" Greer asked, pulling away from Cole and turning around to look at John.

"Yeah, I found an old book that's been in my family for a while. Uh… right here it says that Halloween's a big thing for things that go bump in the night. Uh, apparently the veil that separates this world, heaven, and hell thins and it's easier for demons and whatever else in hell can escape – well those that know how," John informed.

"If it's a revenge thing, it would make sense," Greer started.

"Yeah, but if it's a revenge thing you'd think that we'd hear about these kinds of things. I checked the newspaper archives at the library and online and there's been nothing suspicious on Halloween for… well, a while," Cole replied.

"Well, did you find anything like this in the papers?" John asked.

"Yeah, we did," Greer replied.

"It's a lot of recent stuff, actually. Things like this are popping up all over the country. Some of the cases involve the murderer being someone that had already died. The names of the victims were really interesting actually. I went through Grandpa's journal and a lot of names are in there. They're all hunters," Cole said.

"Okay, so demons are killing hunters. That's nothing new," John said.

"Get this. The murderers that have been recognized were also hunters… or at least used to be," Cole added.

"Like Dylan," Greer nodded, taking in all of the information.

"Well if it was some kind of hunter's revenge thing, then why are the demons asking you to go after us?" John asked, directing his question at Greer.

"I don't know," Greer sighed, frustrated.

"What I don't get is how your brother came back as a demon. To do that he'd have to have gone to-," Cole started.

"Hell. I know. I'm trying to figure that one out myself. Dylan wasn't a bad guy…" Greer trailed off.

"Well, what if he made a deal?" John asked, curiously.

"What kind of deal?" Greer asked.

"Crossroads demon," John answered, matter-of-factly. He shifted uncomfortably. His family had almost been torn apart because of a deal. Hell, he wouldn't even have been born. It was a little too close for comfort.

"Good point. But what could he possibly want? He's smarter than that. He wouldn't," Greer said.

"I don't know the guy, Greer, and I hope that you don't take this the wrong way, but people don't go to hell for no reason," John brought up, hesitantly.

"Why would Dylan need to make a deal?" Greer asked.

John shrugged, "Beats me."

"Hey, why don't we leave this topic and talk about our game plan so far," Cole said, changing the subject. He could see that Greer was getting frustrated with the idea of her brother making a deal or even being in hell for that matter.

"Yeah, okay," John agreed.

"When I talked to him last, Dylan said he'd be bringing back up. He still thinks I'm game to hurt your family," Greer said.

"If you don't mind me asking, how is that you're fooling him this easily? I mean, in my family we can tell when someone's lying in an instant," John asked.

Greer sighed, "I tell him what he wants to hear. Dylan never knew me that well. We were close when we were kids but after he left everything changed. When he came back after Dad died, he was different; so cold. We were never close then. He treated me more like a soldier than a sister. Honestly, if we weren't related and you saw us walking on the street, you'd think we didn't even know each other." Greer hated it, but it was the truth.

"I'm sorry," John started.

"It's fine!" Greer snapped, quickly. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Listen, I think he's bringing friends and if they're anything like he is, we'll have a lot of demons on our hands. I say at the masquerade we prepare ourselves. Anti-possession charms, devil's traps drawn in places like under rugs, on ceilings… we have to be ready for everything and we have to know the exorcisms. I've got my knife too."

"How did you get a knife like that any way? A knife that kills demons?" Cole asked.

"It was my mom's," Greer answered. "She left it to me when she left for good."

"Gotcha," Cole said. John was quiet and they both looked at him.

"Okay, if I bring ours… I mean, my parents will freak if I tell them what we're doing," John started.

"They don't have to know," Greer said, mischievously.

John sighed, "Yeah, I think I could uh, borrow it for the evening." He scratched behind his head as he hinted at stealing the demon killing knife that his parents hid.

"That's good. I think we'll another one," Cole said.

"Cole uh, maybe you should be the one to use it. I mean, I know exorcisms and combat and everything, but you're not at the center as much and-," John started.

"I'll teach him," Greer spoke up.

"Okay," Cole said, his eyes lighting up a little. John chuckled. These two were so into each other it wasn't even funny. It was so obvious!

"Alright, now that that's settled," John said, shifting uncomfortably. "So we go early and prepare… what about the library? There's a big open space with non-breakable stuff. Why don't we meet there at… Greer, do you think you could get your brother to tell you when everything's happening so we can find a time to all meet up?" John requested.

"Sure thing," Greer answered.

"So we meet up and then… we wait?" Cole asked, puzzled.

"Yeah," John replied.

"Well, what exactly do we plan on doing? Just taking them out no one hurts our family?" Cole asked, skeptically.

"Cole's right. I think we should try finding out why they're here and who's behind all this? I mean, it's a little strange right? Hunters coming back as demons to get revenge on other hunters?" Greer replied.

"Well how are we supposed to do that?" John asked. Both Cole and Greer looked at him. "What?"

"Well, rumor has it, your dad learned from the best, when he was in hell," Greer answered, hesitantly.

"How am I supposed to bring that one up? Uh, 'hey, Dad. Some chick told me that you know how to torture demons. Can you help a guy out?' I don't think that's going to work," John replied, defensively.

Greer sighed, "I don't know. It looks we've got a lot to do before the masquerade."

"No shit," John said in agreement.

"We'll find away," Cole chimed in. At least he was the optimistic one.


	18. Breakfast Gone Wrong

"Ughh!" Renee groaned, slamming her phone down on the table and sighing out from frustration. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. She had just finished planning the masquerade dance already and was trying to work out all of the little details, which happened to be very frustrating. This was not how she pictured her Saturday morning.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Molly asked, as she came into the kitchen, spotting her daughter at the dining room table with papers sprawled all over the place, her laptop open, her face in her hands.

"It's not like I haven't planned a school dance before but this is just hectic! I'm trying to plan this and my friends keep bothering me about hanging out when I already told them I had plans with John tonight. That too. I have plans with John tonight and I feel like I'm just going to explode!" Renee sighed.

Her mother chuckled, "Sweetheart, you're student body vice president. Of course you're going to have a lot of responsibilities."

Renee chuckled, "I mean, before I started dating John things were busy but people I don't even know say hi to me now and it's just weird!"

"You know that's how I met Meredith. She started dating Dean and Dean was a friend of my boyfriend and so we ended up going in the same homecoming group together. You never know. You could meet your new best friend through John," Molly added.

"Yeah, that's true," Renee said.

"Get used to it, sweetie. We're Walsh girls and Walsh girls are always it girls," Molly replied.

"Okay, Mom," Renee chuckled, rolling her eyes a little, before returning to her work. Once her mom was out of the room, she double checked that her mom had gone elsewhere before she woke up her laptop, quickly googling her mother. She knew it was strange, but ever since her mom had mentioned being an it girl, she was curious about her mom's past. She typed in: Molly Walsh.

The only thing that came up was pictures from her mom and dad's wedding. She had seen pictures of their big, white, fairytale church wedding in photo albums, but to see her parents' pictures posted on the internet and gossip columns humored Renee. Renee retried the search, typing in 'Molly Owens' instead of Molly Walsh. Renee's eyes widened as a lot more popped up in this time's search results. There were little blurbs in Page Six about an upcoming designer, dated all the way back to 2002. What surprised her most were the blurbs in fashion blogs dating back to the late 90s, early 2000s about her mother being a model. She scrolled through some of the editorial photos. Her mom was right. She really had been an it girl.

"Hey, I'm going to start on some breakfast. Do you want anything?" Molly asked, coming into the room, causing Renee to practically jump out of her seat. She quickly clicked out of the browser she was on, and turned the laptop off. "You're jumpy. The stress is really getting to you, huh?"

"Oh, yeah. Um… breakfast. Right," Renee said, quickly changing the subject. "I actually had a bowl of cereal earlier when I woke up but if I get hungry again, I'll probably just have a banana or something. Thanks anyways, Mom."

"Alright. I'll leave you to your work," Molly replied, eyeing her daughter suspiciously, before leaving the room, back into the kitchen. Renee made sure her mom had left the room before opening the laptop back up and resuming her search. She was so curious that she couldn't help herself.

* * *

><p>Across town that morning, Jude, Cole, and Greer were to meet up for breakfast to go over the plan they had so far. Jude and Cole walked into the diner that used to be the Falcon. Cole spotted Greer sitting in a booth by herself, drinking some coffee, buried in a book. John noticed too and he and Cole headed over to the booth. John slid into the empty side while Cole slid in next to Greer.<p>

"Hey, you guys," Greer greeted, cheerily.

"Morning," Cole said back. John couldn't help but laugh. These two were so into each other and he just wanted to yell: get together already! Well, that was if he trusted her and he wasn't sure he trusted her yet. She hadn't given him a reason not to, but then again, John believed that you could never be too careful.

"Hey, I know you guys just got here, but I'm going to run to bathroom. I'll be just a couple of minutes," Greer said.

"Oh," Cole said, getting out of the booth so that Greer could get out.

"Thanks," she smiled, politely, before heading towards the bathroom. Cole sat back down in the booth, this time sliding all the way in and moving Greer's stuff to the outer edge of the booth so that it would be easier when she came back. Cole saw the look on his cousin's face.

"What?" Cole asked.

"Nothing, it's just you are so hot for her," John snickered.

"Shut up," Cole groaned.

"It's so obvious, dude," John sighed, looking around to make sure that Greer was gone. Once he was sure that she was, he pulled out something wrapped in a cloth napkin and a flask.

"Seriously?" Cole asked.

"It's not for me," John shrugged, opening it up and reaching for Greer's glass.

"Woah! What the hell are you doing?" Cole hissed, swatting John's hand away.

"Relax. It's just holy water," John replied, reaching for the glass again, only to be swatted away by Cole, again. "Dude! What's your problem?"

"What's my problem? What's your problem!" Cole snapped.

"Look, we can never be too careful, okay? I just want to make sure we can trust this girl," John defended himself.

"We can, alright? You don't need to do some… demon test," Cole said.

"You don't know that," John replied. He knew he was running out of time so he said the first think that came to his mind. "Fine. If you just let me do this, I'll stop doubting her, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," Cole grumbled. He'd let his cousin do the test for him, but he was pissed that John still had a problem with Greer. John quickly exchanged the silverware with the ones wrapped in the cloth napkin, the ones that were made out of pure silver. He saw her returning and quickly grabbed the flask and cloth napkin, shoving them into his messenger bag.

"Alright, where should we start?" Greer asked, sliding into the booth, next to Cole.

"Let's just go over the whole thing. We can see where what we still need to work on," John said. Cole wouldn't look at his cousin, irritated with him.

"Sure," Greer said, opening her spiral notebook. "Alright so far I have-."

"What can I get you?" the waiter asked, coming over to the table. The waiter looked about their age. Cole instantly recognized him from his Euro studies class.

"I'll take the number two with bacon and scrambled eggs, please," Greer started.

"I'll get the same thing actually, just with sausage," John added.

"Uh… pancakes with a side of fruit and bacon," Cole said.

"Coming right up," the waiter replied, taking their menus and quickly leaving the table.

"Where were we?" Cole asked, just wanting to get through this breakfast without having to yell at John.

"Right. Okay the plan so far: we go to the school, mingle for a while, and then escape to go set up-," Greer started.

"Hey, I feel like we should have some kind of code word," John chuckled. Both Cole and Greer shot him funny glances. "You know, so that we know when we're supposed to leave and set up."

"Ignore him," Cole reminded.

"Ah," Greer chuckled, nodding once.

"Oh come on, code words are cool. Oh! Or we could have some signal like uh…" John said, coming up a long elaborate signal. By the end of it, Greer was in a fit of laughter.

"Okay, there's no way I'm going to remember that!" Greer laughed.

Cole chuckled too, although he was still mad at his cousin, "Come on, dude. Seriously."

"No, I'm serious! I mean, where's the fun in setting cell phone alarms? Our signal could be like: Cacaw!" John crowed. Greer face palmed while Cole chuckled, looking away from his cousin.

"You know, for one of the popular guys, you're kind of a freak," Greer said.

John shrugged, "No one's complainin' so far."

"Alright, I vote synchronizing our cell phone alarms," Greer replied, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Yeah, I agree with the whole cell phone thing. Sorry, John, but I think 'cacaw' might draw a little too much attention to ourselves. The goal is to go unnoticed, remember?" Cole reminded.

"Yeah," John pouted. He really wanted to have an excuse to crow like a bird.

Greer lifted her glass to her lips for a sip of water. John eyed her carefully as she drank the water in gulps, and Cole's eyes flickered back and forth from John to Greer. If she failed the test and was something bad, he wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to react. A feeling of relief washed over John as Greer set her glass down. No reaction. His parents had told him that demons always reacted badly when they were in contact with holy water. He had never seen it but Greer remained normal. Cole cleared his throat, glaring at his cousin while John just shook it off

"We're all memorized on exorcisms, yeah?" John asked.

"Yeah," Greer said.

"Almost. I'll bring one just in case," Cole replied

"Okay, back to the plans. So instead of going to school early to set up, we'll just set up during the masquerade," Greer repeated. "And then we wait. I don't know when they'll be coming but I think it's always good to be prepared. Remember, no salt lines except for your mom's English classroom. That'll be our safe zone. Library's the battlefield," Greer continued, looking down at her plans in the notebook that she had.

"I think we need to have someone patrolling at all times, since we don't know when they're going to come," John said.

"Yeah," Cole agreed.

"Here's your food. Enjoy," the waiter said, setting down their breakfast.

"Thanks," they all said in turn, before the waiter left.

"Wow, this looks great. I really do like this place," Greer said, light heartedly as she unwrapped her silverware from the napkin.

"Yeah. You should've seen the place before though," John started, again eyeing her carefully as she cut a piece of the waffle off, lifting it to her lips, and eating the bite of food with the pure silver fork. Again, no reaction. He smiled and sighed. He could finally stop worrying. He knew that Cole thought he had a stick up his ass about all of this, but he was just looking out for his cousin. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially his family.

Cole, on the other hand, was fuming right about now. He didn't understand why John just couldn't trust her.

"Alright, well, I think we're ready. John, you can get the knife for Saturday night, right?" Greer asked.

"Yeah. You have yours?" John asked back.

"Yeah. And Cole, you're training today with John right?" Greer asked.

"Yeah," Cole grumbled.

"Good. It's all set in stone then," Greer said. What made Cole angrier was that for the rest of breakfast, John was practically quizzing Greer on hunter knowledge, asking her too many questions about her past. It was like a freaking interview. He couldn't take it any longer.

"She passed your stupid test. Can we move on now?" Cole huffed.

"What?" Greer asked.

"Dude!" John exclaimed, glaring at his cousin. Greer's face fell as soon as she realized what Cole had meant by 'test'.

"It's okay. I get it," Greer said, putting her fork down. She couldn't help but feel disappointed but she understood where he was coming from. Hell, if she was this close to her family she'd do it too. She knew that John found her suspicious, and he had every right to. She was just starting to hope that he was getting over that. She wasn't quite sure what it was about this family, but they made her feel welcome. They felt like the family she had always wanted and feeling accepted by them just felt good.

"No, it's not okay! I told you she wasn't bad but you wouldn't listen to me," Cole demanded.

"Dude, I'm just-," John started.

"I don't want to hear it, John. I know we're not hunters like your side of the family, but I'm not stupid, okay? You don't need to sit here and quiz my-, my friend," Cole asked through gritted teeth.

"You know what? Fine," John said, jaw clenched as he got up out of the booth and went over to the cashier to pay before leaving the diner. He knew Cole was mad but he couldn't understand why Cole didn't see that it was for his sake. John walked down the street, his stride long and fast, before finding his car, getting in, slamming the door, and heading home.

Back in the restaurant, Cole was desperately trying to console Greer for what had just happened. He felt awful about it.

"I'm so sorry. It's-," Cole started.

Greer shook her head, "Cole, I meant it when I said it was okay. He's just looking out for you."

"No, it's not okay! He shouldn't treat you like that," Cole protested.

She smiled, "It's sweet that you care that much, but it's okay. I'm a big girl, Cole. I can take care of myself. I-, he's being a good family member. Hell, I wish someone would do that for me. I know that I should be feeling bad about it since I was the target of this whole thing, but it just shows how much your cousin cares about you."

Cole listened to her words, but they didn't resonate with him. He was still too pissed off at John to even think about the positive side.

* * *

><p>In the afternoon at the center, John was training Cole for Saturday. Meredith and Dean were curious about Cole's newfound interest with the center lately, but they weren't going to ask.<p>

"You still mad?" John asked.

"Yeah," Cole said.

"Let's go again," John ordered, putting in his mouth guard. Cole put his mouth guard back in too before John moved swiftly towards him, throwing a punch. Cole ducked, taking that opportunity to shove him. John staggered over a bit but regained his footing, going in for a punch, and then he kneed Cole in the side, pinning him down. John took out his mouth guard. "You're not terrible for a beginner." John knew that Cole was taking out his anger on him, but he didn't mind since Cole was learning the combat really quickly. They needed to be as prepared as possible for Saturday. Cole just shook his head, struggling and then pinning John. "Or not. Get off me." John shoved him off as Cole took his mouth guard off, shoving John back.

By now, Flynn and Victoria had stopped what they were doing, watching the two.

"This is good. I feel like we should have popcorn," Flynn said.

Victoria laughed, shaking her head.

"Dude! What the hell?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Cole yelled back.

"Boys!" Meredith exclaimed, seeing what was going on. "What has gotten into you two?"

"Nothing, I-," John started. "Ow, damn it." The punch to the face that Cole threw actually hurt. "Nothing. I'm going to go get some ice. You can sort whatever it is out with Mr. PMS."

Meredith just stared at Cole questioningly while Cole sighed, "I'm going to get some air." Cole hurried out of the center, jogging around the building and just leaning up against the side of the building, taking deep breaths. Shortly after he heard footsteps coming towards him. He closed his eyes, just thinking. He hated that John had treated Greer like that: like she was some demon or thing that his parents used to hunt. She was more than that! He trusted her. He cared about her. He knew he was being over protective, but seeing John like that was just infuriating. He opened his eyes, disappointed to see it was John. "What?"

"Look, man. I did it because I'm worried about you. It's obvious you like her and I just wanted to make sure that she wasn't going to hurt you. I know that you care about her and I thought maybe since you do, you wouldn't see it. I just-, I don't know. You're my family, dude. We've got to look out for each other," John said. This time, Cole did listen. Greer had said the exact same thing and after getting all his aggression out, and the fresh air, he was starting to understand.

"I know," Cole groaned. "She trusts you, John. Why can't you trust her back?"

"I did-… well, I do now," John said.

Cole nodded as the two sat in silence for several moments, not saying anything.

"Sorry about the jaw," Cole said, honestly. He had never punched anyone like that and he felt bad about it.

John shrugged, "It's no big deal." John chuckled.

"What?"

"You must really like this girl, Cole. For you to get all worked up like that… I've never seen you like that, dude!" John exclaimed.

"Shut up," Cole said, shoving his cousin lightly. They stood in silence again before Cole said, "Yeah, I do. I just, I don't really know how she feels."

John shrugged, "I think she really likes you too. She wouldn't have come to you for help if she didn't and she wouldn't have been all hot and cold if she didn't either." He took a deep breath before saying the next part. "And as of today, I officially approve. I promise. No more shenanigans. I will fully trust her from now on."

Cole chuckled, "Yeah, alright."

* * *

><p>"Hey, you," John said, entering Renee's bedroom. Renee was sitting at her desk in her room, still fascinated with her mother's it girl, socialite past life. He kissed her cheek quickly.<p>

"Hi," Renee smiled, turning around and seeing her boyfriend. She smiled as he leaned in for a real kiss, kissing him back. "Oh my God, what happened to your face?"

"Cole," John chuckled.

"What?" Renee exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"We were over at the center today and kind of got into it. It's a long story but I'll tell you over dinner," John replied.

Renee chuckled, "Okay… should I be worried?"

"No. We worked it out," John said. John noticed what had been up on Renee's laptop. "Dude, your mom's a milf!"

"John!" Renee exclaimed.

"What?" John asked, innocently.

"Never mind. I've been looking at this stuff sporadically all day. It's just so weird! My mom was talking about how Walsh girls were it girls and stuff, and so I googled her and apparently when she was in design school, to help pay for tuition, she did some modeling," Renee said. John read the captions of the pictures and everything.

"Sorry, babe, but your mom is hot. Just sayin'," John said.

"John, it's weird to hear you talk about my mother like that," Renee said back.

"Just sayin," John repeated, shrugging.

"Fine, let's talk about your mom. Um, she's gorgeous, for one," Renee shot back.

"Yeah, you're right this whole mom talk is totally weird. You ready to go to dinner or what? I hope you haven't been cooped up in this house all day planning this masquerade ball," John said. Renee looked at him with a guilty look. "Oh yeah. You definitely need to get out. Come on. Let's go."

Renee giggled. He knew exactly what she needed, "That sounds perfect."

"Oh, and uh, about the masquerade thing… can we talk?" John asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" Renee asked, worriedly.

"Something came up. Cole needs my help. It's uh… hunting related," John said.

"Oh," Renee said. She couldn't blame him or get mad at him for that. She almost found it sexy. It was almost like she had her own superman.

"I'm really sorry. I'm still going to go and I'll be there, but uh, at some point I'm going to have to leave and help Cole out. I hope you're okay with that," John said.

Renee sighed, "I mean, I'll be with my friends, but I can't say I wish I could spend all night with you."

"I'm sorry. I really am," John said.

"I know," Renee nodded, disappointed, before changing the subject. "Come on. You said it yourself. I need to get out of the house. We should go."

"Mkay," John said, wearily. He felt bad that he wouldn't be able to be with her the majority of the night, but he'd try to be there as much as he could.


	19. The Masquerade part 1

**Author's Note: **I know, I know, I know! I haven't posted in so long right when I was on a roll BUT here is the first chapter of the masquerade extravaganza. I figured I'd spend one chapter focusing on the romance of the evening before I got the major ass kickin' part, which will be the next chapter. I'm hoping to post that one this weekend :). Happy reading and reviews are much appreciated! It lets me someone's reading!

* * *

><p><em>Jude's body lay on the ground, bleeding out, as Meredith scrambled to stop the bleeding.<em>

_"Oh my God. It won't stop. Jude, tell me what to do! It won't stop!" she pleaded, desperate. She cried as she wrapped up all of his wounds, but not matter how hard she tried, the blood kept seeping through. "Should I put pressure on it or-? Oh God. Oh God!" She knew it was no use talking to him. He was dead already. She shook her head, holding her son in her arms, his eyes close, his body cold and still._

_"Mom!" she heard someone scream. Meredith's head snapped up, only to see a man, his black eyes ominous and evident, as he snapped John's neck, letting him fall to the floor._

_"No!" Meredith screamed. "No. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. No."_

_The man's lips curved into a smile, "Oh but it was. Remember me? You and your little friend Sadie couldn't save me, could you? Did you even try?"_

_"You've taken everything from me! What're you waiting for? Just do it! Just kill me!" Meredith screamed at him, angry and hurt tears running down her face._

_"I don't know. I feel like letting you live with the fact that you couldn't save your sons might be a more enjoyable option," the man said. Meredith growled, lunging for the man, viciously going after him._

"Oh my God," she gasped, sitting up in her bed. That was when she noticed that she was panting and sweating. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked over at her sleeping husband. "Oh, thank God." Meredith quickly got out of bed, hurrying upstairs and peeking in John's room, to find him fast asleep, safe and sound. She sighed a sigh of relief before crawling back into bed with Dean, lying on her side. Dean rolled over, draping an arm around her waist.

"You okay, baby?" he mumbled.

"Yeah. Just a bad dream," Meredith said, swallowing.

"Mm. It's seven on a Saturday morning. Go back to sleep," Dean mumbled.

"Yeah, I will. You too, okay?" Meredith asked back.

"Hm," Dean sounded. Meredith knew he'd fall back asleep in an instant, but she on the other hand, couldn't get the dream out of her head. It had just felt so real. It was terrifying and she hadn't had dreams like that in a while. She knew that the prophecy would have to come true at some point, and it would make sense why Flynn and Victoria hadn't been in the dream, but they had ignored hunting for so long. Now to have this…? She feared that hunting was going to come back into their lives. So much for the whole apple pie thing, huh?

* * *

><p>While everyone was outside in the living room, John had snuck off to his parent's bedroom to go find the demon killing knife. He knew that they kept it in the sock drawer; he just had to find which one. John began pulling drawers open. Dad's shirts, jeans… none of these were the sock drawer. He checked one of the higher drawers, his eyes widening when he saw underwear. He quickly slammed it shut and then checked the next one. Bingo: Sock drawer. He rummaged around it until finding the knife. John clasped his hand around the knife, slipping it into his pocket, and hurrying out of the room back into the living room where everyone was taking pictures.<p>

John approached Cole, standing next to him, "You do not know what I had to go through to get this knife."

"What?" Cole asked.

"Underwear drawer," John hissed.

"Your parents keep their knives in the underwear drawer?" John snickered. John hit him. "Ow!"

"No, they used to. I unfortunately stumbled upon it. They keep it in the sock drawer now," John said. "Don't worry, dude. I've got it in my pocket."

"Great. Uhh… quick, incoming," Cole said, as both boys turned their attention to Renee and Greer, making their way towards Cole and John.

"Dude, she looks hot," John smirked, seeing Renee in her floor length, one shouldered satiny blue dress. She had her hair up in an up do, stunning as ever.

"Yeah, I know," Cole smiled, seeing Greer. She wore a curve hugging black strapless dress that went about mid thigh. It was black and had contrast bands in a tan color. She looked so hot. He knew that John was talking about Renee but he couldn't stop staring at Greer. Her reddish blonde hair was curled and lay softly against her shoulders. "How'd we get so lucky?"

"Like my dad says, we're Winchester men," John shrugged. Cole chuckled.

"Hey," Renee said, leaning in and giving John a short, sweet kiss.

"Hey, you look beautiful," John smiled.

"Thank you," Renee blushed.

"I know, don't laugh. I don't usually get all dressed up like this and I feel silly," Greer started, embarrassed.

"No! No, you look… wow," Cole stammered.

"Smooth, dude," John teased.

"Shut up," Cole grunted. "You look really great, is what I meant to say."

"Oh uh, thanks. You clean up well," Greer replied, the first thing that came to her mind. The two exchanged nervous laughter. Renee could tell that they were so into each other, they just didn't know how to approach it and she knew that she and John being there probably wasn't helping.

"John, why don't you and I head over here and we'll leave these two alone," Renee suggested.

"What?" John asked.

"Oh, please. It's about time that those two got together. I'm so glad he asked her. She's been coming to his games and they're always together! And we grew up with Cole so it's so obvious that he likes her," Renee gushed.

John chuckled, "You do know that about a little over a month ago, people were saying that about us, don't you?"

Renee giggled, "Yeah, and it's nice to finally be on the other side of it!"

"Yeah… this is… nice," John said, looking his girlfriend up at down and playing with the smooth, satin fabric.

"John," Renee giggled, pushing his hands away from her. "Our parents are around."

"So?" John shrugged.

"Uh… do you want my dad to kill you?" Renee asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Winchester! What'd I tell you about keeping your hands to yourself?" Ethan said, strutting over towards John and Renee and sitting down on the couch. "Have a seat, son." John and Renee exchanged glances, before John sat down next to Ethan on the couch, Renee sitting right next to John, smoothing out her dress before sitting down.

A chuckle came from behind them as Meredith maneuvered her way over to the sofa and sat down next to her best friend, "Bobby always told us that too. Look at you, Mr. Over protective dad!"

"I'm the over protective dad?" Ethan asked back, raising an eyebrow and nodding over towards Dean. All four of them turned their attention to Dean, Victoria, and Tyler.

"Ouch. Poor, Tyler. And I thought I had it bad," John chuckled, watching Tyler get grilled by Dean with question after question. "No offense, Ethan."

"None taken," Ethan said back. He and Meredith just exchanged laughter. "Typical."

"I'm going to go relieve them," Meredith said, parting from John, Ethan, and Renee, before heading over towards Dean. "Honey, can I borrow you for a second?"

"What? What for?" Dean asked.

"Nothing. I'd just like to have a word with you… in the kitchen," Meredith said.

"Is something wrong?" Dean asked, stubbornly. He was determined not to leave Victoria alone with this boy for as long as he could. He knew exactly how these horny high school boys thought. He used to be one. Hell, he still was one in spirit.

"No, I just have something to ask you. Come on!" Meredith chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully at her husband. She took him by the arm, ushering him towards the kitchen so that they Tyler wouldn't have to endure the wrath of an over protective father.

"What? We can't just leave them alone like that!" Dean exclaimed, once they got into the kitchen, away from everyone else.

"Dean! It's fine! They're only fourteen," Meredith sighed, amused.

"Mer, I know how boys think," Dean said. "And he's fifteen!"

"Baby, calm down," Meredith giggled, inching her way over towards Dean. She knew exactly how to go about this. She slid her hands up his arms to his neck, smiling sweetly. "I hate seeing you get all worked up like this… then again, it is kind of sexy."

"You think?" Dean smirked.

"Mhm. Look, Tyler's a good kid. He's a gentleman, from what I've heard," Meredith answered.

"So you've been asking around huh?" Dean teased.

"Shut up! She's my daughter and I'd hate to see her get her heartbroken," Meredith replied.

Dean just shook his head before sighing, "Fine, I'll behave but that boy better not lay a hand on her!"

"Alright," Meredith chuckled.

Back in the living room, Victoria and Tyler were alone at last.

"Hi," Victoria said, awkwardly.

"Hi," Tyler replied. They both looked at each other and laughed a little. They had been friends and it had been good, but tonight felt like so much more than friends… it was weird, but the good kind of weird. "You look great!"

"Yeah, you too," Victoria said back. It was the first date kind of awkward, right? "So my dad finally left!"

"I can see that," Tyler chuckled.

"Sorry about that. He just worries a lot. Family is pretty important to us and uh… well, you know the rest," Victoria apologized.

"Hah, it's alright. I get it… it's just, you know, uncomfortable," Tyler said.

"Oh, yeah," Victoria laughed.

"So this dance thing will be interesting, huh? I'm not much of a dancer but I've got a couple of moves. You know… like this one," Tyler started, demonstrating the sprinkler. "And this one." He kept dancing and Victoria just laughed. Finally, it felt like the awkward first date tension was starting to thaw out.

"Smooth," Victoria said, sarcastically.

"What? You don't think I've got it?" Tyler asked.

"I-, I think you'll be an interesting dance partner. Glad you're my date. I think this whole cheesy school dance thing will be far less boring now that I've seen your uh… dance moves," Victoria teased.

Tyler laughed, "Oh, I haven't even started yet. Just you wait."

"Oh God," she laughed, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Alright, picture time!" Meredith announced, coming out of the kitchen, her husband following her, camera in hand.

"Oh no. I hate pictures. Sorry about this," Victoria groaned, looking over at Tyler.

"Like I said, it's all okay," Tyler smiled.

"Okay," Victoria replied. She liked that he could handle her family. She knew they weren't easy, so it was definitely a big deal that he could.

"Alright, everyone gather up. Girls on the right, boys on the left of your dates," Meredith instructed.

"Just make sure to angle yourselves so we can get all of you in the picture," Molly reminded.

"Everyone smile," Sawyer chimed in.

"Aww, everyone looks great," Kitty smiled.

Ethan, Sam, Bryan, and Dean all looked at each other, laughing. Women…

"Great. Just stay there because as your parents, you know we're taking tons of pictures," Molly said, continuing to click away. This would be a night to remember for many reasons.

* * *

><p>Paige looked over at her boyfriend Flynn, smiling at him, and a glint of warm happiness in her eyes.<p>

"What?" Flynn asked.

"Nothing… it's just I'm really happy right now. I-, I thought it'd be awful having to move and leave all my friends behind back in LA, but even in a small town I feel good," Paige admitted.

Flynn chuckled, "See, I've lived here all my life so I don't even know what it would be like to live in a big city like that. I mean, I've thought about – I'm curious – but does it get overwhelming?"

"Not really… well, I guess kind of but you learn to manage," Paige replied. "Come on. Dance with me."

"If you insist," Flynn teased.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't dance. I know," Paige replied, rolling her eyes playfully. "But tonight, you have to since I'm not leaving the dance floor."

"Since when did you decide that one?" Flynn chuckled.

"Since now," she smiled. "Come on. It's easy. Just… move with the music," Paige encouraged.

"Oh God," Flynn groaned, feeling so out of place. He wasn't quite sure how to do the whole high school dance thing. He never knew what to do – even in middle school. He didn't really listen to this kind of music either but he would admit that he liked the beat. Paige grabbed his hands, moving closer to him and swaying to the sultry hip hop beats.

"See? You're not terrible," Paige giggled.

"For tonight, let's just pretend that that statement is actually true," he said.

"Okay," Paige nodded. She was really starting to fall for Flynn.

Later that night, the DJ at the masquerade was playing slow dance songs and people were really coupling up. Victoria had her arms wrapped around Tyler's neck while he had his arms on her hips, swaying to the slow music. Victoria laughed a little bit, biting her lip.

"What?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know. I guess I still don't get the whole school dance thing," Victoria said.

Tyler laughed, "Oh thank God! Honestly, when you brought up going to this masquerade together, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep up. I mean… my sister lives for this kind of thing but you… you're different."

"Good different or bad different?" Victoria asked, nervously.

"Good different. Definitely good different," Tyler replied.

"Oh good. Yeah, I don't know. I just don't get worked up over things like this. It's a little silly, really," Victoria admitted.

"Wow. I'm officially with the coolest girl here," Tyler said.

Victoria blushed, "Ah, I wouldn't say that. I don't know. I just like the whole masquerade idea. It adds this whole layer of mystery. It's really kind of sexy."

"You think it's sexy?" Tyler asked, cocking an eyebrow, his eyes not leaving hers.

"Definitely," she replied, her eyes locking with his.

"So how is it you ended up so much more down to earth than other girls? Now, don't get me wrong. I'd much rather go out with a girl that doesn't go all crazy over a silly school dance," Tyler asked. Wow, he was really hitting on her. Victoria knew that if there was any good time, the time would be tonight. She had to make a move or at least tell him how she felt. The attraction between them was so strong and she knew that she couldn't put it off any longer. And the way he was acting tonight…

"I grew up with three brothers?" Victoria brought up.

"That would explain it," Tyler said.

Victoria waited and looked around the room before saying, "Hey, why don't we go for a walk or something? After all, I think we've both agreed that this thing is pretty lame."

"That sounds like a great idea," Tyler agreed. The two unlinked themselves from each other, before heading out toward the exit to the gym. They walked, just talking and laughing before leaving the school and just walking along the building outside.

"Oh, watch out!" Tyler warned, grabbing for Victoria's arm, stopping her before she could trip over the giant rock in the middle of the walkway beside the school.

Victoria laughed, "Oh my God, I definitely would've tripped over that. I'm probably the most uncoordinated person you will ever meet."

"I highly doubt that. You've got some moves," Tyler shrugged, jokingly.

"Oh please? I totally schooled you on that dance floor!" Victoria challenged.

"What? Do we have to go back in there so I can remind you about how I was the one doing all the schooling," Tyler said back, playfully.

Victoria giggled, just smiling. She couldn't stop smiling when she was with Tyler. The two stopped walking and she just stood there with her arms crossed, her head tilted to the side.

"You took off your mask," Tyler said, making the observation.

"Yeah, well we're not exactly at the dance now so I figured it'd be okay. So did you," Victoria pointed out.

"Hey, it's nice to get some fresh air out here," Tyler said.

"So is that what we came out here for? Fresh air?" Victoria blurted out, the flirty banter just flying between them! She closed her eyes, mentally slapping herself in the face the minute she said that. Wow, she had really inherited the smooth talker gene from her father.

"I was under the impression that we were," Tyler replied. "Does someone have a hidden agenda?"

"What? No!" Victoria exclaimed. She completely regretted saying that. Damn it, Dad! "Anyways…"

"I hope you wanted to go to this thing...," Tyler said, changing the subject once he realized that Victoria hadn't meant to say that. He didn't want her to feel embarrassed or anything but he wanted to keep it on the same topic, just in a different way. He kept telling himself that tonight would be the night and he had to tell her.

"What?" Victoria asked, shooting him a puzzled look.

"I hope I'm not forcing you to go this dance. I know you think it's silly-," Tyler started.

"No! I mean, I do, but I have some pretty good company," Victoria replied.

"Just pretty good?" Tyler asked.

"Don't push it," she warned, jokingly. They both exchanged glances, laughing.

"Look, I wanted to-," they both said before stopping.

"You go first," Victoria said.

"No, you go ahead," Tyler said.

"I uh… Tyler, I-," Victoria stammered. Oh God. This was it. She was really going to say it. "I like… your shirt. You look good all dressed up." Damn it. Where was the smooth talking Dean Winchester gene now?

"Uh, thanks," Tyler chuckled awkwardly, feeling a little disappointed. "I like your dress. You look… really great tonight."

"Thanks," Victoria blushed. She bit her lip, the words on the tip of her tongue. "Actually, that's not what I wanted to say."

"Yeah?" Tyler asked, hopeful.

"How do you feel about girls that make the first move?" Victoria asked.

"I uh, they're great," Tyler said.

Victoria took a deep breath, about to say something when Tyler just cut her off by leaning in and kissing her passionately. The kiss they shared, they both could tell, was really special. Victoria deepened, the kiss, wanting to hold onto this moment forever. This was her first kiss… Tyler pulled away slowly and they two just looked at each other, sharing a small smile.

"Oh, good. I didn't want to be hasty or anything," Victoria said, still in shock of the kiss.

"You're kind of impatient," Tyler teased.

"Shut up," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

* * *

><p>Cole paced around the school library, just making sure that nothing had come yet. He knew Greer was on the other side of the school, and although he wished she hadn't gone alone, he knew that she could take care of herself. Hell, she knew more than he did. He certainly knew that. He felt a slight breeze, whipping around quickly to find nothing there. That was strange. And since when did that window get opened. He walked over to it, quickly, shutting it and then leaving the library. They needed to get moving but first, he'd find Greer before getting John.<p>

Inside the decorated gym, John was slow dancing with Renee.

"I'm a little nervous," Renee admitted.

"About what? Babe, I told you I wasn't going to step on your feet. I thought we worked that out when you gave me ballroom lessons at Rastio's house," John reassured.

"After you followed me there?" Renee pointed out, teasingly.

"Hey, I was curious, okay?" John defended, playfully.

She chuckled, "I know. No, it's not that. I'm just feel like any moment you're going to have to go on your top secret mission with Greer and Cole. I mean, I don't even know what that is."

John sighed, "It's hard to explain now. Later, though, okay?"

"It's okay. I don't expect you to tell me now. Just promise me you'll be safe okay? Whatever it is you guys are doing, you said it was 'family business' related and, as your girlfriend I can't help but worry about it," Renee confessed. John smiled. She was so cute when she got all flustered. He could tell that it was uncomfortable for Renee to be this open about her vulnerability and she was just so cute about it!

"I will, I promise. I will give you all the details when it's over. We can even braid each others' hair, and watch _The Notebook _and cry," John teased.

"Shut up!" she said, hitting him playfully.

"Ow! You're getting good at that," John exclaimed.

Renee laughed, "Yeah, well when you keep saying stuff like that, I start getting used to it."

John shrugged, "It's all a part of my charm and the ladies love it."

"Oh God," she groaned. John and Renee just danced together in silence, enjoying each others' company until the song ended and Cole and Greer approached the two.

"Hey, dude, we've got to get ready," Cole said. "Sorry to interrupt."

John nodded, "Yeah, okay."

"Meet us in the library," Greer said, before Cole and Greer left to go get a head start, leaving John and Renee alone to say goodnight.

"Sorry about this. I really wish-," John started.

Renee shook her head, "No, it's okay. Go be superman."

John smirked. He liked her calling him superman, "Mkay. I promise." He leaned in, giving her a small kiss on the lips, before she pulled him in for a deeper, more passionate kiss. She pulled away, leaving him stunned and wanting more.

"Find me at midnight when the dance ends," Renee whispered. She let go of him and John knew he had to go, but his whole body was screaming at him to stay.

"God, I don't want to leave now," John smirked.

"Midnight," Renee reminded.

"Yeah, okay," John sighed, parting from his beautiful girlfriend. He pushed his thoughts about her to the back of his mind to dwell on later. Right now, there was a job to be done.


	20. The Masquerade part 2

"That should be good enough. Everyone ready?" Greer asked, finishing up the spray painted demon trap that she had done on the floor of the library. She was happy that it wasn't carpeted because if it had been, they had no idea how they'd clean this up. She threw the rug over it so that they demons wouldn't see when they came here.

"Yep. Devil's traps are done," John replied.

"So now what?" Cole asked.

"We wait," Greer answered.

* * *

><p>"You know, you're actually a really good dancer. I had no idea," Haley commented.<p>

Owen chuckled, "My mom forced me through years of cotillion so after being stubborn for the majority of it, I've actually picked up a couple of things."

"I see. Cotillion boy, huh?" Haley teased.

"What?" Owen asked, playfully defensive.

"I never would've taken you as a Cotillion kid, that's all," Haley replied.

"Did I forget to mention that my mom forced me through it," Owen reminded.

Haley laughed, "No, you mentioned that part. I uh, just find it funny. Me and… well, my entire family – the idea of any of us doing cotillion is hilarious. I know I'd feel so out of place."

"I don't know. A pretty girl like you would fit in right away," Owen said.

Haley laughed, "Did you just use a line on me?"

"Haley, you're calling me out on my best material here," Owen joked.

"Your best material? Wow, if I were you I'd get some new material," Haley teased.

"I don't know. It seemed to work on you when I asked you to this dance," Owen pointed out.

"Yeah, but that was cute! Not… cheesy," Haley giggled. "Hey uh, if you don't mind me asking, why did you ask me to this thing anyways? I just-, we don't really know each other that well… not that I haven't enjoyed getting to know you. I have."

"No I don't mind," Owen shrugged. "I don't know. Like you said, we don't really know each other. Thought we could get to know each other."

"I see," Haley said.

"A girl that can school me in football trivia… you kind of knocked my socks off," Owen said.

Haley smiled, "I grew up playing football in the backyards of family's houses during every single event we had. My family is made up of mostly boys so after every meal it'd be: hey, let's go play some football! Or something like that so my cousin and I grew up learning to play football. We were never girly girls that played wedding or anything. That's why the idea of cotillion is so funny to me. It's nothing about you."

"No, I gotcha," Owen nodded.

"Hey, if you didn't get much out of cotillion, at least you can say you're a gentleman," Haley pointed out.

"You think I'm a gentleman?" Owen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Haley answered, a small smile playing on her lips.

* * *

><p>"Okay, how long is it going to take for these guys to get here? I mean, you're with two Winchesters! Shouldn't that be enough to provoke it?" John exclaimed, itching to take out some evil sons of bitches that were threatening his family. He put two and two together and came to conclusion that thing outside his house he saw a couple of weeks ago must've been Dylan – or at least something else.<p>

"Dude!" Cole exclaimed.

"No, John's right. They should be here by now. Do you think they know that we're setting them up?" Greer asked.

"God, I hope not," Cole replied, nervously. There was a silence between the three of them. Greer knew exactly what to do. If she was to lure any of these demons out, she knew exactly what to do, especially if whatever demons were coming tonight were after the Winchesters.

"I've got an idea," Greer said.

"Yeah?" John asked.

"Yeah. It's just enough to piss them off. It's what got my brother to come back in the first place," Greer said.

"Well, what is it because-," John began to ask, when Greer marched over to Cole, grabbing him by the back of the head and pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss. Cole raised his eyebrows, shocked by what was happening but went with it anyways. Ever since befriending her, he had thought about what it would be like to kiss her. Damn, the real thing was better than what he imagined.

"Okay, guys, seriously. How is that going to help?" John asked.

"I thought we talked about this," a cold voice sneered. John turned around, his eyes widening as he saw the tall, dark haired man with black eyes.

"Told ya, it'd work," Greer smiled, satisfied. Just then, three other demons appeared behind him, the same angered, determined look on their faces. John knew it was time to put his game face on. His hand found the demon killing knife in his pocket, clasping his hand around it, ready for battle. This was it.

"Greer, have you been working with them?" the man asked, shocked and hurt.

"You really think you could abuse me, abandon me, and then expect me to help you kill the one person that's ever made me feel a part of something? Jesus, Dylan, you've got some high expectations there," Greer shot back.

"We're family," Dylan spat back through a clenched jaw.

"We're not family, Dylan. Ever since you left, we haven't been family. You came back and I knew my brother had been gone a long time ago," Greer replied.

Dylan began to laugh, "Alright, I'll quit the brother act. It never worked anyway. Kill them. All of them." The other demons nodded, before charging at them. Show time.

John immediately went for the demon that was going after him. He began to kick and punch but the demon was just as good. This only made John nervous. He tried to keep fighting but ended up getting knocked down. John took a deep breath, immediately hopping back up. _Don't be tense. Be ready._ He could hear his dad saying. _Just feel it. When he contracts, expand. When he expands, contract._ He could hear his mother advising. _You know what you're doing, John. You've practice for this. Just do it!_

And it was as if John had the upper hand. He imagined being back in the training center. He could do what he wanted to. He was safe. The demon's eyes widened as he began to realize that the tables were turning on him. John threw his best right hook, knocking the demon to the side. John saw that he was vulnerable. He kicked the demon in the side and then, when the demon was bent over, grabbed him by the shoulder and stabbed the knife into him. The demon's face lit up, electric sparks running through him as he collapsed to the floor, bleeding out, dead.

The thrill had been incredible. He was really hunting. All the practice wasn't just practice anymore. This was the real deal. John glanced over to see that Cole was holding his own as well. Cole had fought the demon into one of the demon traps. Cole began the exorcism, focusing, and soon, the demon was gone too. The lifeless body collapsed to the floor.

The demon Greer had been fighting had her cornered. He was going in for the kill when she whipped out her gun and shot him. She knew it wouldn't do anything since he was a demon, but it was worth the distraction. To her surprise, the body fell to the floor. There was a cool laugh that bounced off of the walls. John and Cole exchanged glances. What? Suddenly, Dylan came to the forefront.

"Bravo!" Dylan exclaimed, clapping slowly. "It's three against one. Now, we're just going to have to do something about that, now won't we?" With a flick of both of his hands, John and Cole were pinned up against the wall, struggling against the force that was holding them there.

"Dylan, stop it! Let them go! Dylan!" Greer yelled.

"Would you look at that? It's just you and me, sis. And with a flick of my hand it really could be. I could snap their necks in an instant," Dylan said.

"Don't. Please, don't. I'll do anything. Please," she whimpered.

"Don't be so hasty, Greer. I've got plans for you and these boys. This is only so you'll agree. I've got your boys in the palm of my hand. You have to do what I say now, don't you?" he asked, a smirk playing on his face.

Greer clenched her jaw, "You're disgusting!"

"Oh am I?" he asked, tightening his grip on Cole. Cole gasped, coughing for air.

"Dylan, stop it!" she screamed.

"Alright," Dylan smiled evily, loosening his grip. "They won't be of use to be if their dead. Just thought I'd show you what I can do."

Greer shook her head in disbelief. Her brother had never been a cold blooded killer but the demon that was her brother was sickening to see, "What do you want me to do? I'll do it. Just them go. Please."

"I knew you'd break. I know you, Greer. You were always the weak one. You'll do anything to protect those you care about, which is why it came as such a surprise to me that you turned our back on me, your brother, to help… these… Winchesters," Dylan said, his voice coated with venom as he said the name Winchester. "What would Dad say if he could see you right now?"

"Shut up!" Greer spat.

"Feisty as always. Greer, I've got a little proposition for you. I'll let your boys go if you join us," Dylan said.

"Us?" Greer asked. This was it. She was going to get to the bottom of this and the Winchesters would be here to hear it.

"Yes. We'll turn you," Dylan replied.

"What do you mean?" Greer asked, scared.

"The croatoan virus," Dylan reminded.

That's when it hit John. He remembered his parents talking about the croatoan virus. It was something that turned humans into demonic like creatures, only the croats could be killed by gun. They weren't as resilient as demons were.

"Okay," Greer agreed. Dylan smiled wickedly. "Under a few conditions."

"Fine," Dylan agreed, his lips pursed.

"First, let them go," Greer said. Dylan flicked his hands and the two boys were off of the wall, falling down on the floor with a thud. Cole rubbed his head. Damn that hurt and there hadn't been anything to break the fall either. He and John were still trying to recover.

"The other one, explain to me what happened," Greer said.

Dylan nodded, "I was killed on a hunt before Dad died, but when he died, I was offered a chance to come back and take care of you."

Greer shook her head, "And somehow I don't believe this."

"They told me that I could come back and look after you and that together, we'd get the chance to do something good – something great even. They said if they brought me back, you and I would band with many other hunters that… had a bone to pick with someone and that we'd get our revenge. They said they'd bring me back and give me the power to get revenge on the Winchesters," Dylan explained.

"Who's they?" Greer asked.

"The first," Dylan said. Greer raised an eyebrow. "The first demon ever created. He's been in hiding ever since things started to calm down in the underworld. You want to know why? We're plotting something big, Greer. We take out everyone who hurt us… killed our family members. So join us. We'll train you and once you get this sick idea that the Winchester are good, we'll make an appearance. Do what I came here to do tonight."

"No," Greer whispered, shaking her head. A tear rolled down her face.

"You sure about that answer?" Dylan asked, clenching his hand. Suddenly, there were choking noises coming from Cole.

"Stop it! I'm sorry. I'll do it!" Greer screamed, desperate. There were tears streaming down her face as she wiped them away. She sniffled and then held her ground.

"Sorry, can't hear you little, sis," Dylan smiled, wickedly.

"I'll join you and your friends. Turn me. Change me. Do whatever you have to do just don't hurt Cole and John," Greer whimpered.

There was a gunshot that rang out through the room, causing Greer to jump.

"Ouch," Dylan said, dryly. Cole gasped for air, only to find that Dylan no longer had a hold on him anymore. Dylan looked up at John, who was standing on his feet with a gun aimed at him. John's parents had told him they could kill croats with a gun. After that story, he didn't know whether Dylan was a croat or a demon, so he figured it was worth trying.

"Nice try, kiddo. The thing is, I'm not a croatoan. The First took souls from heaven and hell, offered them the position, and they created the army so uh… that little toy you've got there won't work on me," Dylan said, slamming John against the wall. John fell onto the floor, trying to regain his strength. "Now where were we?" He turned to Greer and she had a strong look on her face. She nodded.

"Okay. I just, can I sit down for a moment. Just before we go," Greer said her voice shaking. She grabbed a chair and sitting it down on top of the rug, sitting down on it and burying her face in her hands. She took a deep breath, really shaken up.

"It's alright. You'll be safe with us," Dylan said in a soft comforting voice, going over to his sister and putting a hand on her shoulders. John knew exactly what Greer was doing. Damn she was good. He smiled. She had her brother in the palm of her hand.

"Really? I don't know if you should mention and us because it doesn't look like there'll be much of that anymore," Greer said, standing up and walking off of the rug. Her brother tried to follow her but stopped.

"You little-," he started.

"Bitch? Yeah, I know," Greer smiled, happily.

"Devil's trap," Dylan growled.

"If Dad could see me now? What about you? Dad would kill you right now if he could see what you've done. What you've become, Dylan. It's sick," Greer spat. "I'm just going to have to hope and pray that I'm strong enough to do what he would do."

"Greer, I'm your brother," Dylan started.

"I thought you said we were done playing the family card," Greer shot.

Dylan growled, "I swear to God, I'll kill you. Working with the Winchesters… they've only caused our family pain! How could you? How dare you!"

Greer just stood there. She knew what she had to do. She was so afraid. How could she kill her own brother? But then she reminded herself that he wasn't her brother. _You've done this so many times. You've killed so many demons, but this is different. Just pretend he's not-, oh, that's no possible. He's you brother,_Greer thought to herself.

"Greer, he's not your brother. Your brother was gone a long time ago. Just do it!" Cole shouted.

"I swear to God, when I get out of this you're first, Winchester. I'll kill you first. But it won't be quick. I'll turn you inside out. Let the whole world hear your scream before-," Dylan shouted at Cole. Greer couldn't take it anymore. She ran at him, stabbing the demon killing knife into him. His eyes widened as he looked at her and then down at the knife. He looked back at her. "Mom's knife."

"Yeah. She'd to the same thing too if she could see you right now," Greer said coldly.

And then his body fell limp as he collapsed to the floor. John began to get up and Cole hopped up, sprinting to Greer's side. Greer looked down at her dead brother. All of those times that he had been there for her when they were kids… but he wasn't that same guy anymore. She opened her mouth to say something but all that came out what a loud sob.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" she cried.

"Shh, it's okay," Cole said, pulling her into his arms.

"Cole, I-, I can't breathe," she stammered, sobbing into his chest.

"It's okay," Cole said, rubbing her back and just holding her close.

"I'll deal with the bodies. Take care of her," John said. Cole nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>"This is me," Greer said, as Cole's car came to a halt outside of her motel room. Instead of getting out, she just sat there.<p>

"Look, I really don't feel comfortable leaving you alone tonight," Cole started.

"What? Are you trying to get into my pants now, Winchester? You and me in a motel alone tonight?" Greer teased.

"Greer," Cole warned. She sighed. He cared about her so much. It was astounding, really.

"I don't really want to be alone tonight either," she confessed.

Cole nodded, "Come back to my house. I'll explain it to my parents and they'll understand. Besides, Dylan said that this group of demons and croatoans or whatever had big plans. I think we should get them involved. They know what they're doing… a hell of a lot more than John and I do. You could stay with us."

"You think it'd be okay?" Greer asked.

"Yeah," Cole nodded.

"Okay. I just don't want to impose, especially since my brother was after your family," Greer said.

Cole shook his head, "It's okay."

"Okay," Greer said. Cole backed out of the parking lot, heading to their house. They didn't say much during the car ride. They just listened to the music that was playing over the stereo. Finally, they reached Cole's house and parked. Cole and Greer got out of the car and walked up the porch into the house.

"Cole, you're home early. Oh my God, you're bleeding. What happened?" Sawyer asked, panicked as soon as she saw her son.

"It's okay. We're fine, Mom," Cole said.

"Sam!" she called.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, his eyes widening as soon as he saw Cole and Greer.

"Look, Mom, Dad, I don't want you to freak out but there's something I need to tell you," Cole started. "Can we uh… just go into the living room for this? You may want to sit down."

Sawyer and Sam exchanged glances, afraid of what was coming next. As they reached the living room, Sam, Greer and Sawyer sat down while Cole remained standing.

"Greer has been having some trouble with her brother. Uh, she came to me a couple of weeks before the dance and told me that-," Cole started.

"My brother was brought back as a demon and he came to me and told me that-, that'd I'd have to hurt your family. See, my grandfather and John Winchester used to hunt together and um, they were on a hunt and my grandfather died. My family has always blamed the Winchesters for it and so it was kind of a revenge thing. I-, I got to know you guys and saw how welcoming and kind you all were and so when Dylan approached me about hurting you, I went to Cole about it. He, John, and I came up with a plan to take them down and… that's exactly what happened tonight," Greer explained. "It was my fault. I came to them about it. Cole was just helping me."

"No one got hurt. We're all fine. The demons or croats or whatever are all dead. John took care of the clean up," Cole added.

"Yeah," Greer said. "Please don't be mad at your son. He's… he was just trying to help."

Sam and Sawyer just sat in silence, trying to take this in.

"Why didn't you come to us about this?" Sam asked.

"I didn't want to worry you," Cole replied. "And now I realize how stupid it was."

"You could've gotten really hurt!" Sam chastised.

"I know. I'm sorry!" Cole exclaimed.

"Everyone's really okay?" Sawyer asked.

"Yes," Greer answered.

"I-, Cole, what you did tonight was-, come to me, first okay? I-, you know I hate the idea of you hunting but… I don't know. I guess it's inevitable," Sam stammered, still in shock.

"I'm sorry-," Cole started.

"No, don't be sorry. What you did tonight was stupid. You should've come to us first but… but I would've done the same thing if I had been in your situation. I can't exactly punish you for that, now can I?" Sam asked.

"You're not mad?" Cole asked.

"I am mad. I-, but I think it's time I stopped ignoring the fact that we'll always be hunters," Sam said, nodding slowly.

"Sweetheart, are you staying alone now that your brother is gone?" Sawyer asked. Greer nodded slowly. "That's silly. Why don't you stay with us for now? Cole told me that it was just you and your brother. We'll figure something out but in the meantime, you can stay with us."

* * *

><p>John had finished taking the bodies away. His parents had even taught him what to do post-hunt and he had followed their every instruction. He checked his watch. 11:58. His eyes widened and he sprinted towards the gym where the dance was still going on.<p>

"Alright everyone. We have about a minute till midnight. How about one last song for all the couples? At midnight we'll take off our masks and reveal who's who," the DJ said, through microphone. Everyone cheered and John had just gotten into the gym. He searched the room for Renee. He saw a tall, blonde girl with a dark blue dress and hurried towards her, tapping her shoulder.

"What?" the girl asked.

"Sorry, you're not-," John started. And that's when he spotted her. He knew it was her. "Renee." He smiled, hurrying over to her.

"Five, four, three," everyone began to chant as the countdown to midnight began. John approached the girl, turning her around and kissed her passionately. "Two, one."

"You found me," she smiled, happily. Renee took off her mask staring up at her handsome boyfriend.

"Yeah, I did," John smiled back, taking off his mask.

She pulled him in for another kiss before asking, "How'd it go?"

"Good. Greer's pretty shaken up but she's in good hands," John replied.

She nodded, "Good. Come on. We should get going."

"Okay," John agreed. He was glad that the Gallaghers agreed to take home Haley, Victoria, Paige, Flynn, and Tyler. It gave him time with Renee.

John drove them back to his house, where Renee's car was parked outside. He stopped the car next to her car, before turning to Renee, "So uh, you probably don't want to come in. I have a feeling my parents know and knowing them, they'll be pretty pissed."

"Mm, sorry. Good luck," Renee said back.

"Thanks. Look, I'm sorry about tonight. I know I couldn't spend it all with you. Trust me, I wish I could've," John said.

Renee shook her head, "It's alright. The time we did have together was so fun."

"So you still had a good night?" John asked.

"Yeah, of course," Renee replied.

"Alright, so uh, I'll see you at school or something?" John asked.

"Sure. I have a feeling stopping by tomorrow may not be such a good idea," Renee answered.

"Yeah. I have a feeling I'll be grounded for years after this," John groaned.

"Well, does this make it any better?" Renee asked, kissing John, long and passionately. He smiled, pulling away.

"Yeah. A couple more minutes and I may even be set for the rest of the years I'll be grounded for," John smirked.

Renee giggled, "I have to get going. Call me and let me know how it all turns out."

"Okay," John said.

"And you do owe me an explanation about tonight," Renee reminded playfully.

"I know. I'll tell you all about it," John said back.

"Mkay. Goodnight," she said.

"Goodnight," John replied, kissing her once more before Renee got out of his car and into hers. He made a three point turn before going into his drive way, Renee driving back to her house. John parked, got out of his car, and locked it before going into the house. As soon as he got into the house, Dean and Meredith were waiting for him in the living room.

"I take it you know," John said.

"Sam and Sawyer called," Meredith nodded.

"What were you thinking?" Dean exclaimed.

"I-, I don't know! That Cole needed my help," John defended himself.

"And you couldn't come to us first?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes at his son.

"No! Okay? I thought we could take care of it ourselves and we did, Dad! Geez, I don't know why this is such a big deal. Isn't this what you've been training us for? I mean, why learn how to do all that stuff without actually being able to use it? I just don't get it!" John exclaimed. Dean and Meredith just sat there. He did have a valid point.

"Yeah, but you could've told us first," Meredith replied.

"Yeah, but then you would've gotten involved," John replied.

"And what's so wrong with that?" Meredith asked back.

"I-, I don't know. We thought it was just a simple demon thing but…" John trailed off. "We thought we could take care of that on our own and we did." He sighed. "But there's more. There's… I don't know something about first demons and revenge motives and a plan and an army. So yeah, we were going to tell you eventually."

"Do you understand how bad things could've turned out? What would've happened if someone had gotten really hurt or even worse, had died?" Dean exclaimed.

"I don't know, Dad!" John exclaimed. "I did it. It's done. You can't change any of it."

Meredith didn't know what to say. She was so scared but at the same time, this had proved that John was going to be able to defend himself when something happened, "Look, John, I know we're made… we're… really mad, but I think the important thing here is that everyone's okay. I also think that we should make things clear that if you have a case, you come to us."

"Mom," John groaned.

"No! You're right. We've been training you and what's the point if you don't use it," Meredith started.

"Mer!" Dean protested.

"Wait, Dean," Meredith sighed. "The two of you… Anyways, it was bound to happen someday. I remember Jude's first case. It's terrifying, John, for us to wrap our heads around the idea that you're actually fighting. At the center it's just practice, but when you're actually out there, it's the real deal. There's no safety net or calling 'time out'. You could seriously be hurt. So we make pact. If you're hunting you tell us about every hunt you're going out on. You hear me?"

Dean sighed, "Can't say I like it, but your mom's right. It was bound to happen someday. But with this stuff, we're a family. We do this together. This isn't some private thing, okay? So something like this happens again, you tell us. We won't meddle unless someone's life is danger, but you owe us that much."

"Really?" John asked.

"Really," Meredith answered.

"Okay," John said. "So does that mean I'm not grounded?"

"Oh, you're definitely grounded," Meredith replied.

"You also owe us a full story. Sammy told me some of it and there are just too many sketchy details," Dean added.

"Alright. I'm going to go take a shower," John said. "I'll be upstairs, demon-less, hunting-less. You two have nothing to worry about."

Once John was gone, Meredith and Dean just looked at each other.

"What?" Meredith asked, recognizing Dean's pensive face.

"Nothing," Dean said.

"You think we have a new 'big bad' don't you?" she asked.

Dean nodded, "God, I wish we didn't."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: OKAY so here's one hell of a chapter. Happy reading and sorry updates are so slow. I will hopefully write some more soon. Reviews are much appreciated!<p> 


	21. The Aftermath

Sam sat hunched over the books he had in his study.

"Yeah. Alright, thanks. Again, Mrs. Dubois, I'm so sorry for your loss," Sam said. "Alright, thank you. Take care." Sam hung up the phone, putting it down on his desk and scribbling something else down. He had been researching cases familiar to what had happened last weekend at the masquerade. He was trying everything. He even found old hunters that said they had encountered something, or worse, were dead already. He had compiled quite a list so far.

"Hey, Dad?" a voice asked, pulling Sam from the research trance he was in.

"Yeah?" Sam asked, looking up to see Cole slowly walking into the study.

"Oh, I uh, just wanted to see what you were up to. Research?" Cole asked, casually.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"You find anything?" Cole asked back, curiously.

"Yeah, a lot actually. There's a lot recently showing up and old hunters we used to know too," Sam replied.

"Huh. Well, I just wanted to say thank you for being cool with all of this, especially for letting Greer stay with us," Cole began.

"After everything you told me, I'd feel much more comfortable knowing that she's here instead of at a motel room alone. Remember I used to live that life. I think she's a lot safer here," Sam shrugged, simply. "Son, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Nah," Cole shook his head, playing it off coolly.

"Alright," Sam replied, unconvinced.

"I'm going to go get some breakfast. You want anything?" Cole asked, quickly changing the subject.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Sam replied. Cole turned around beginning to leave. "She's a pretty girl, Cole. You're really going to try and tell me that there's nothing going on between you two?"

Cole just shrugged, "There's nothing to tell, Dad."

"Right," Sam replied, still unconvinced, but this time letting Cole actually leave. As soon as Cole left his dad's study, he was relieved that he had avoided that awkward conversation. What was he going to say? It was one kiss and it wasn't really even a kiss. It was bait for the demons, right? Cole kept telling himself that, but it definitely felt like one hell of a kiss.

Cole got out some eggs and vegetables from the refrigerator before reaching up and pulling a bowl, a whisk, a knife, and a cutting board out of the counters and drawers. Cole began to cut up an onion and some peppers.

"Morning," Cole heard a voice say. He turned around a big smile spreading across his face as he saw Greer in a long sleeve shirt, and some pajama shorts.

"Hey," Cole said.

"You're making breakfast again?" Greer asked.

"What do you mean again? My French toast is delicious, if I say so myself," Cole said.

Greer laughed, "No, yesterday was great… it's just you've been making me breakfast all week."

"You know there are four other people living in this house," Cole reminded playfully.

"Yeah, alright, I get it," Greer chuckled. "So what's on the menu this morning?"

"Omelets and fresh squeezed orange juice," Cole said.

"Need any help?"Greer asked. "It's the least I can do, really, especially after your parents let me stay here with you guys. It's… incredible, actually."

"It's really no problem," Cole replied.

She nodded, "Well thanks."

"So uh, you finish that US history paper?" Cole asked.

"Hardly. I'm planning on working on it today or tomorrow. I was going to go to the library and thought you might want to come. You don't have to. Just a thought," Greer replied, sweetly.

"Yeah, sure. I really haven't done much of mine so we do actually have to work this time. With our track record though, I'm afraid we're not going to get anything done," Cole pointed out.

"Okay, but this time I promise, I won't distract you. I always feel weird in that library alone. Mrs. Burnett freaks me out," Greer confessed.

"What? Why?" Cole asked, attempting to stifle a laugh.

"I don't know. Old people freak me out…" Greer trailed off. "Okay that's a lie. I love old people. She on the other hand is scary. The minute you talk, she's in your face shushing you. She also smells heavy of way too much perfume. Sometimes I feel like she could kill me in my sleep or something."

"Wow. You face demons but yet you can't handle a little, old librarian?" Cole teased.

"I would take a demon over a little, old librarian any day!" Greer answered.

Cole laughed, "Alright then. You're officially the weirdest chick I've ever met."

"Hm… it seems like weird does it for you," Greer said, looking him up and down. Woah. Was she actually acknowledging that there was something there? Cole honestly didn't know what he was supposed to do about their relationship, especially after that kiss, but she was definitely acting differently. Of course they had always been flirty friends, but not this flirty.

"A little," Cole replied, jokingly.

Greer laughed, "Alright so how does this whole omelet thing work anyways?"

"I take it you don't cook very often," Cole said, almost as a question.

"Nope. I'm a take-out frequent," Greer answered.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you're staying with us then. As Winchesters, you kind of learn how to cook before you can read. Let's just say we have a lot of family gatherings so we're always cooking for those," Cole explained.

"Huh, guess so. So that's how you learned how to cook, huh?" Greer asked, as they continued to sauté some of the veggies, chopping them up and throwing them in the frying pan. Cole worked quickly, showing Greer how to do everything.

"Yep," Cole answered, shortly.

"Well, if it counts for anything, I think it's a sexy skill for a guy to have," Greer winked.

Cole raised any eyebrow, "Huh. Hey, do you want to whisk the eggs?"

"Sure," Greer answered. Yeah, there was no way that this was still just a friendship.

Greer and Cole finished up making breakfast just in time for everyone else to wake up and come into the kitchen. Sam and Jackson were setting the table together while Haley was helping make some bacon.

"Parenting books say that when your kid makes you breakfast their either trying to apologize, get out of being grounded, or want something. Cole, I'm serious this time. We can't take in another one of your friends," Sawyer joked, coming into the kitchen.

"What? Your son can't do something nice for you guys without you suspecting something?" Cole asked, playfully defensive.

"I don't know, Sawyer. I don't think it's us he's been doing this for," Sam teased.

"Oh yeah. Your secret's out, Cole," Haley joined in. Cole just laughed, trying not to blush and shaking his head. He had asked Greer to the masquerade and they had almost kissed on many accounts. She already knew he was into her, right? So this wasn't a problem… sort of. His family was so embarrassing.

"Don't forget that she likes him back too!" Jackson added.

Cole's jaw dropped, "Jackson!"

"What? It's true," Jackson shrugged.

"Jackson, I thought we talked about having a filter when it came to these kinds of things," Haley hissed.

Greer laughed, "It's alright."

"She's cool, Cole. I approve," Jackson said.

Sawyer and Sam exchanged glances, laughing about their unfiltered, truth telling son.

"Alright, why don't we leave this topic and move on to this wonderful breakfast that Cole and Greer have prepared for us?" Sawyer suggested with a small laugh.

"That sounds great," Cole said, almost too quickly, eager to get off of this subject. He looked over at Greer and mouthed to her, "Sorry." He felt so bad. She must've been mortified. Leave it to his immature 12 year old brother to bring that up. Then again, Jackson was pretty good at noticing these kinds of things. Was it true?

She shook her head laughing. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "It's fine."

Cole didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but he couldn't help but think about what Jackson had said. Maybe it was true, and he knew that she must know about his feelings for her, nothing was really said… or done about it for that matter. He understood why nothing had really happened after the masquerade, seeing as she was processing a lot, but at the same time, maybe he was just making excuses.

* * *

><p>Sunday morning came and Victoria couldn't take it anymore. Her parents and her Uncle Sam had been in the living room talking and strategizing and talking over research. She knew that they were training for something, but she never really imagined what it would be like to have real demon problems now. She watched as her dad got up and went into the kitchen and followed him there.<p>

"Hey, Dad?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Dean answered.

"I'm going to go out. Just next door… see what Tyler's up to, if that's cool," Victoria started, desperate to get out of the house.

"Oh… you and that Tyler kid seem to be spending an awful lot of time together, especially after that dance… anything you want to tell me?" Dean asked.

Victoria shook her head, "Uh uh. Is it okay if I go though?"

Dean nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess. Be careful, okay?"

Victoria laughed, "Yes, Dad. Don't worry. All of those hours spent at the training center haven't gone to waste. I promise. If I run into any demons, I will know how to kick some butt."

"I wasn't talking about demons, I was talking about those high school boys, kiddo," Dean replied.

"Dad, Tyler's a nice guy. He's not like that. Besides, I'm not your little girl anymore, Dad. I can take care of myself," Victoria reminded.

"Well, you still are to me," Dean reminded.

"Gotcha," Victoria groaned.

"You got your phone with you?" Dean asked. Victoria nodded. "Good. Just… call if you two go anywhere. Your mother and I have enough to worry about."

"Okay," Victoria said, before leaving.

After the masquerade, she hadn't told her dad yet about her and Tyler. She had wanted to talk to her mom about it which meant eventually it'd get to her father, but they came home and her parents were deep in conversation about what had happened that night with Cole, Greer, and John. Since then, she had talked to her mom, but there hadn't been a right time to tell her dad – even her mom agreed with that. Her dad was right. He really didn't need anything else to worry about so for now they'd keep it a secret – unless her siblings let it slip…

Victoria made her way over to the Gallagher residence and knocked on the door. Tyler answered almost immediately, smiling as soon as he saw her.

"Hey," Tyler said.

"You think we could go for a walk or something? Things are a little crazy at home," Victoria asked.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Tyler asked.

"I-, it's complicated," Victoria answered.

"Huh," Tyler said, stepping outside of the house, shutting the door behind him. He and Victoria walked together out to the sidewalk and down the street. "So what's up?"

"Nothing… my parents are kind of worked up over a," Victoria started, choosing her words carefully. She had remembered what her mom and dad had said about the Gallaghers. They hadn't told their kids about hunting and weren't planning on it and Victoria wasn't about to be the one to tell them about it. "Project. They've been talking all morning long about it. It's just stuff from the past they their worried about. It gets to a point where you can't sit and listen to it all morning. That and I think I just needed to get out of the house."

"Well, first things first: are you okay?" Tyler asked. Victoria practically wanted to melt. Why was he so sweet?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Everyone is… fine. Just tired, is all," Victoria said, a small smile on her face.

"Good. I mean, not the tired thing but it's good that everyone is… fine," Tyler answered. They both laughed, awkwardly.

"Look, I haven't told my dad about us yet. I want to, but it just hasn't been a great time," Victoria confessed.

Tyler shrugged, "It's okay. I mean, what're you going to say?"

"That you're my boyfriend," Victoria said.

Tyler smiled at the word 'boyfriend', "Well the more you say it, the more I like the idea of your telling your dad about us. Kinda makes us more official."

"And your parents are okay with it?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Tyler shrugged.

"Cool," Victoria said back. Their hands clasped together as they continued walking down the sidewalk. There was something in the way Tyler said it that made her almost doubt that his parents were 100% okay with it, but she was going to ignore that for now. She really couldn't worry anymore about this stuff. His parents were nice. There was no use in getting worked up over nothing.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you finish that paper?" Cole asked Greer. Greer was standing over her bed, zipping up a bag. "What're you doing?"<p>

"Uh yeah, I did. I was wondering if you'd turn it in," Greer said, handing Cole the paper. He searched her face for answers, panic running through him.

"Why?" Cole asked, worriedly.

"Cole, would you just sit down? I've uh, I've got to talk to you about something," Greer asked.

"Okay," Cole said, sitting down. "What's with the bag?"

"All my life, I've been so angry at my mom for leaving, you know? But ever since… Dylan… I just-, I've lost my family but there's still one member left. You know, maybe she had a good reason for leaving but I'll never know unless I ask," Greer started.

"Greer, what're you talking about?" Cole asked. Greer knew she couldn't dance around the subject any longer.

"I tracked down my mom, Cole. She's out in San Diego. I'm leaving tonight," Greer confessed. This was one of the hardest things she could do. She felt like she was breaking Cole's heart but she needed to do it for herself. And she'd come back for him. She promised herself that.

"Oh," Cole said, trying to process everything.

"I wanted to thank you. Your family has been so kind to me. I really don't know what to say, but I have to go, Cole. I know I do. I just, I can't thank you enough for taking me in, trusting me, helping me with the Dylan thing… I-, you're amazing. You really are," Greer said.

"So… you're just leaving?" Cole asked. Greer nodded. As much as he didn't want her to, he knew she had to. "Okay. So I guess this is goodbye then?"

Greer nodded, "Yeah. I'll be back though… if you'll have me."

"Of course, yeah," Cole replied, still in shock.

"Thank you, Cole. Thank you for understand and for everything really," Greer said. "I know I need to see her, Cole. She's my mom! I just... I need answers. And after losing dad then Dylan? I think I need my family right now."

"Of course," Cole said. "When's your flight?"

"I should get going now, actually," Greer replied, shakily. She hated saying goodbye to him.

"I'll take you," Cole said.

She shook her head, "I called a cab."

"I would've taken you," Cole argued back.

"I know. That's why I called a cab. It'll just be easier this way. I already feel like I'm hurting you enough," Greer admitted.

Cole shook his head, reassuring her with a small laugh, "I'm fine, Greer."

"I know we have so much to talk about too… you know… about… I'm sorry. It's just… bad timing," Greer said.

"Bad timing," Cole repeated.

They both heard a horn honk and knew it was time.

"That's me," Greer said, meekly.

"Right," Cole said. "Come here. Stay safe, okay? I hope everything works out with your mom." Cole pulled her into his arms and just held her. Greer wanted to cry right now. This boy's heart was overwhelming and she couldn't wait to get back so she could finally treat him right. Greer pulled away, smiling at him. "Look, I don't want to make this harder-."

"Goodbye, Cole," Greer said, before closing the gap between them and crashing her lips against his. He kissed her back for the moment before pulling away at the sound of the horn honking again.

"I guess you really should get going," Cole said.

"Yeah," Greer agreed, reluctantly.

"Here, I'll walk you out," Cole volunteered. He held the door for her while she grabbed her duffel bag and the two walked downstairs to the front door. Greer opened it, sharing one last smile with Cole.

"Don't forget about me okay?" she asked.

"Don't think I could," Cole answered with a small laugh. "I mean, the girl that ambushed me with way too much knowledge of my family? That's definitely something you'll never forget." Greer laughed, rolling her eyes a little.

"Good," she said with a small smile, before going out to the cab, getting in it, and driving away.

"You okay?" Haley asked, going over to the door to comfort her brother.

Cole nodded, "Yeah. She's coming back," he answered, definitively.


	22. The Visitor

John walked past the living room, seeing his mom tidying up the house because the guests were about to arrive any minute now. She had gotten a call a couple of days ago from an old friend that had a similar demon problem like the one Greer had. His father on the other hand, hadn't been happy about this person coming over, but it was a demon thing and they'd do whatever they needed to figure out what was going on.

"Does he have to come here?" Dean groaned. John stood right outside the living room, listening to his parents' conversation.

"Do you want to get to the bottom of this? Sam's collected a couple of accounts from old hunters, but there's a chance in this case that we can track down the demon and get some information out of it," Meredith replied.

"Yeah, but why does it have to be Nate? Can't we just find some other old hunter? I'm sure we're not the only ones have this problem," Dean whined.

"Dean, be nice! He came to us for help," Meredith attempted to reason.

"I bet that's not all he's coming for," Dean grumbled

"Dean!" Meredith exclaimed, her eyes widening. "Do I have to remind you that he's coming with his wife?"

Dean tensed up, "Whatever, fine. Let him come around here…. But I won't like it."

John stayed to listen to the conversation. Who the hell was this guy and why did his dad hate him so much?

"You eavesdropping on your parents?" a voice asked. John practically jumped as he saw his Uncle Sam standing in the kitchen, an eyebrow raised at John.

"Oh, no," John said, shaking his head. "Who is this Nate guy anyways?"

Sam chuckled, "You're going to have to ask your parents about that one, kiddo. Sorry, but I'm not getting in the middle of this one."

"Why does Dad hate him so much?" John asked, crossing his arms.

"Because your dad's a worrier. That and… he has a partly valid reason… he doesn't really anymore, but he used to," Sam replied. John was about to ask another question when the doorbell rang.

"Come on, Dean. And be nice," Meredith reminded.

"Yeah, whatever," Dean scoffed as Meredith dragged him to the door. Meredith was honestly really excited about seeing her old friend. She had occasionally heard from Nate over the years, but they were never really friends. Dean had never been ready to be friends with Nate and she respected that. This, however, was different. It wasn't like two old friends connecting, this was a demon problem, possibly one that would cause John and Jude to fulfill their prophecy. In short, it worried Meredith and she was all too eager to get the bottom of this.

Meredith opened the door, a welcoming smile on her face until she saw who was at the door. Her eyes widened.

"Sadie?"

"Death!" Sadie exclaimed, practically jumping on Meredith and pulling her into a hug.

"Wh-what're you doing here?" Meredith stammered in surprise.

"What, Death? Nate didn't tell you?" Sadie asked.

"Tell-, tell me what?" Meredith asked, trying to force words out.

"Hey, you," Nate smiled, wrapping his arm around Sadie's waist. He looked up at Dean and Meredith. "Hi, Mer. Dean."

Dean tensed up at Nate's use of the word 'Mer'. He hated that Nate called Meredith, 'Mer'. That was for friends and family only. Then again, Nate was her friend and that's what Dean hated the most about this.

"Wait, what's going on?" Meredith asked.

"What do you mean?" Nate asked back.

"Sadie's your-," Meredith stammered.

"Wife," Nate filled in. "Wait, you're Death?

"Guilty," Meredith replied meekly.

"Oh," Nate said, awkwardly.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded slowly, attempting to process the tornado that had just hit.

Oh God.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to get a beer. Anyone want one?" Dean asked, interrupting the awkward small talk that had been going on for the past ten minutes in the living room. Dean, Meredith, Nate, and Sadie had all sat down on in the living room to discuss matters at hand, but the whole Sadie-Nate marriage thing had really thrown off the whole thing.<p>

"Dean, it's the afternoon," Meredith protested.

Dean shrugged, "It's five o' clock somewhere… and I could use one right now."

"I could too. I'll come with you. Leave these two kids to talk," Sadie said, getting up and following Dean out of the living room. Thanks, guys.

"So…" Nate started.

"So…" Meredith trailed off. After another awkward silence she looked up at Nate. "Why didn't you tell me you were married to Sadie?"

"I didn't know. I would've if I had known you two knew each other," Nate offered up, innocently.

"Oh come on! She never told you stories about me?" Meredith asked, curiously.

"She did, but I never knew you were 'Death'. She never told me who 'Death' was when she was telling me all about uh… those risqué party girl stories," Nate replied. Meredith blushed. She couldn't believe that Nate knew all about that. She knew Sadie too well and knew Sadie probably told him all of the details. Well, that's embarrassing. "Believe me, Meredith. I'm just as surprised as you are about… all of this."

"Oh God. I'm sorry. You're right. It's not just me who's… totally mortified right now," Meredith answered.

"That's Sadie for you. Then again, it's not like she knew we knew each other. I don't exactly tell all my exes about the marriage that I almost broke up," Nate said back.

"Nate, it wasn't like that. And uh… yeah… sorry about that," Meredith apologized, instantly knowing that he was talking about the last time they saw each other. The last time they saw each other, he was in Sioux Falls visiting a girlfriend's family and Dean had blurted out, in the middle of dinner, Nate's secret. Meredith had felt awful but things ended up working out in the end. After that, there were only a couple of e-mails exchanged, but really no contact at all.

"It's okay," Nate said, brushing the memory away.

In the kitchen, Dean leaned up against the counter, his open beer in his hand. Sadie leaned stood there, staring at the ground.

"So uh… you and Nate, huh?" Dean asked, gesturing towards the living room with his beer.

"Yeah," Sadie replied.

"Good… good…" Dean murmured to himself. He was so happy that Nate had a wife. Now he wouldn't have to worry, right? This "visit" was going to be so much easier. What he didn't like was how Meredith had reacted. He hated himself for being so jealous, but he couldn't help himself. Old habits die hard, right? "Might wannna stay in here. The wife's not pleased about me drinking in the middle of the afternoon."

Sadie chuckled, "You and I know totally different Merediths." Dean glanced out the window to see Sam and John sitting outside on the porch in the backyard. Sam had gotten John out of the way once the whole Sadie thing hit. Probably the best idea for now…

Back in the living room, Meredith and Nate attempted to catch up – only, it was still terribly awkward.

"I'm glad Sadie found you. I bet you're good for her. I don't know how you managed to tie down a wild child like that…" Meredith laughed.

Nate shrugged, "By the time we met, I think she was tired of her party girl days."

"Oh yeah?" Meredith asked, amused.

"Yeah. This may even shock you more than Sadie being my wife. Abby and I broke up a little while after the visit with you. Don't worry. It wasn't about that at all. We just… grew apart, I guess. I dated a couple of women before Sadie but uh, two years after Abby, I was in another happy relationship. I was surprised that it lasted so long and one day I just figured, I loved her and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. She was great with Tommy too. I think it's because she's still a kid at heart," Nate explained, chuckling when he thought about Sadie. He really did love her and Meredith could see that. She was so happy for her old friend.

"That's great. I'm happy for you, Nate," Meredith smiled. Just then, Meredith could hear the front door opening and rustle of sounds before the twins came into the living room. "Hey, you two! We have company."

"Hey, you're back!" Dean said, coming into the living room as well, with Sadie right behind him.

"I see that," Victoria replied dryly, crossing her arms over her chest. Meredith shot her a funny look. What was with the attitude?

"Hi," Flynn said.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Nate," Nate said, glancing at both of the twins with a friendly smile plastered on his face.

"Flynn," Flynn said, reaching out to shake Nate's hand.

"Victoria," Victoria replied, brushing him off. Meredith raised an eyebrow.

"Victoria, can I have a word with you in the kitchen?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, whatever," Victoria answered. That attitude right there? Yep, she definitely got that from her father.

"Great," Meredith said, smiling fakely sweet. Her daughter followed her into the kitchen. When they got into the kitchen Meredith stopped. "Do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

"What're you talking about?" Victoria asked.

"We have company over and today's the day you choose to be rude?" Meredith asked, calling her daughter out on the bullshit.

Victoria scowled, "Dad told me about him."

Meredith sighed, raising an eyebrow, "What'd he tell you?"

"He told me that that guy in there tried to steal you from him," Victoria challenged.

Meredith laughed, "Have I mentioned that your father loves to summarize and leave out some of the… more important facts? Nate's got a wife, you know. Contrary to what you and your father think, Nate didn't come back for me. He is here with his wife looking for demon help."

Victoria shrugged, "So?"

"So, that means be nice, missy. Nate is… he was a great friend to me. He was a better friend to me than I was to him and he was there for me when your father and I were having trouble after Bobby's death. If you're going to blame anyone for that, blame me. I-, you don't even know the whole story and your father has made you biased. Would you just get back out there and be the sweet, friendly girl we raised you to be?" Meredith asked, with a small sigh. She was slightly amused that Dean wanted their kids to be on his side, but she also wanted to make this reunion the least awkward it could be.

"So it's not his fault?" Victoria asked. She hated being wrong.

"No, it's not his fault. Come on, you'll like him. And if you don't… how 'bout I make you a deal?" Meredith asked.

"What kind of deal?" Victoria asked back, now intrigued.

"If you genuinely try, and still don't like him, I'll take you out on a hunt someday. I know you've been itching to go on one ever since John got to," Meredith bargained.

A smile played on Victoria's lips, "Deal."

"Great. Let's go," Meredith encouraged, ushering her daughter out of the kitchen. Victoria smiled. Only her family would bribe each other to be nice to guests…

* * *

><p>It was only Sam, Dean, Meredith, Sadie, Nate, and John because he was the witness in the living room now, talking over the demon issues. Victoria and Flynn were upstairs.<p>

"I think we should just go the normal route of getting answers out of demons and if things get too hard, well uh, I guess we'll take more extreme measures," Meredith began, squeezing Dean's knee. She looked over at him and shot him apologetic smile. She knew he wasn't comfortable with it and neither was she, but this was worth it.

"Wait, what do you mean?" John asked, looking from his mother to his father.

Dean cleared his throat, "When I was in hell I uh… picked up a couple of things."

"Torture," Sam replied.

John's eyes widened, "Dad, you're a badass!"

"He really does take after his father," Sadie laughed, shaking her head.

"Thank you, Sammy," Dean said, sarcastically.

"So how do we know where to find this thing anyways?" Meredith asked.

"Well, we kinda lured the demons out," John chimed in.

"What?" Dean asked, shooting his son a look.

"Yeah. These things seem really uh… afraid. They're not as fearless as demons were when you guys talk about them. Greer's brother showed up when she was vulnerable and the night of the masquerade, we had to provoke them," John explained.

"By?" Meredith asked, shooting her son an equally odd look.

"Oh, it's no big deal. Hate to break this to you, Uncle Sam, unless Cole told you already, but Greer kissed Cole. You know, her brother hates us so it would make sense that he'd come after us if he was kissing her. And I mean, those two are totally into each other so it's not like anyone was complaining, you know what I'm saying?" John asked, nudging his dad.

"Yeah, I got it," Dean said. Sam raised his eyebrows, an amused look on his face. So his son really had kissed Greer. He knew there had been something there. He just didn't know that something had happened already.

"John, I don't think that's going to help in this instance seeing as we have no involvement in this one. I mean, we definitely stirred up some trouble but I highly doubt, Nate, that your demons are after us," Meredith started.

"Yeah, you are NOT kissing him," Dean said.

"Dean," Meredith warned, glaring at Dean. "Not funny."

"I wasn't joking," Dean said, seriously. Meredith sighed. After all these years, Dean was never going to get over that. Guess he never really was going to be ready to get along with Nate. Sam coughed, interrupting Dean and Meredith.

"I- uh, I think we should get back to the matter at hand," Sam said, attempting to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Right," Nate mumbled in agreement.

"Hey, the first time we were attacked,

Upstairs, Victoria and Flynn were listening.

"Hey, move out of the way. You're blocking me," Victoria hissed.

"Shh! Someone's going to hear you. And why does it matter anyways? It's not like you're can see anything," Flynn argued.

"Whatever. It's no use," Victoria said, walking away.

"Where are you going?" Flynn asked, following Victoria into her room.

"You know Nate was one of the problems during that time when mom and dad were fighting, before we were born," Victoria said, matter-of-factly. She hated that she had to play nice with Nate. She knew her mom had said that Nate wasn't as bad as her father made him seem to be, but if he had come between her parents, she didn't like him. Besides, Mom was his friend so obviously she was biased.

"Who told you that?" Flynn asked, skeptically.

"Dad," Victoria answered.

"Well, what'd he tell you?" Flynn asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He just said that Nate wasn't as great of a guy that Mom chalked him up to be," Victoria shrugged.

"And let me guess? You decidedly to just follow this blindly?" Flynn asked back, challengingly.

"What? No!" Victoria exclaimed. "I don't know. He seems nice… but if he got between Mom and Dad at some point, I can see why Dad is worried, you know? What if-."

"Victoria, that's not going to happen. Mom and Dad love each other a lot and I don't think they'd let him get in the way. Besides, this guy has a wife," Flynn offered.

Victoria sighed, "Yeah, but what if it's some kind of unrequited love thing from Nate's side and he gets all-?"

"Victoria, you read way too many chick flick books and you've got a wild imagination. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Geez, sis," Flynn chuckled, gently mocking his sister.

"Yeah, whatever. I guess I am overreacting a little. Dad's so tense and everything. I just worry…" Victoria trailed off.

"Yeah, I think we get that from Mom and Dad," Flynn said.

"Especially Dad," Victoria added.

"Yeah. Especially Dad," Flynn said, laughing a little. "Hey, any chance you want to go back out there and eavesdrop again? See, if they're talking about anything important?"

Victoria laughed, "Sounds great."

* * *

><p>Meredith pulled back the covers and got into bed. She picked up her book and began reading, not saying a word. Her eyes scanned over the page but she knew that none of it was actually processing. She could feel a pair of eyes on her so she put her book down and looked over at her husband.<p>

"Yes?" she asked.

"What?" Dean asked back, innocently.

"You tell me. You're the one that's been staring at me," she replied.

"What? I can't look at my beautiful wife without being called out on it?" Dean asked.

"Oh come on, Dean. I know you better than that. What's going on?" Meredith asked back. Dean sighed, choosing his words carefully before speaking again.

"It's just… you seem… like something's bothering you," Dean said.

Meredith shook her head, "Like what?"

"Oh I don't know… like Sadie and Nate, for instance," Dean pointed out.

Meredith sighed, "It's just weird! I mean, first, I never saw it coming and second, Sadie is just… I don't know. You wouldn't think she'd go for a kind of guy like him. I mean, I'm happy their happy but-."

"But what?" Dean asked, defensively.

"I don't know," Meredith shrugged. "Sadie likes bad boys."

"You know, if you weren't my wife, I'd think you were jealous," Dean said, tensing up.

"Dean, you know I love you and only you. It's just a shock okay? I'm still processing it," Meredith reassured.

Dean nodded slowly, "Yeah, I know."

"I am your wife, Dean Winchester," Meredith giggled.

"I definitely know that," he smirked.

"Hey, you okay with going on a hunt with them tomorrow?" Meredith asked, honestly.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "Are you okay with John coming on the hunt tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It's bound to happen sometime, right?" Meredith asked back.

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

"Yeah... alright," Meredith started. She leaned in and kissed Dean on the cheek. "Goodnight, baby. I love you."

"I love you too," Dean said, leaning in and giving her a real kiss this time. Meredith smiled into the kiss, kissing him back before realizing something.

"Oh shit," she murmured, pulling away.

"What?" Dean asked, concerned.

"There's something I should tell you," Meredith started. Dean raised an eyebrow. "Calm down, it's not about Nate! Well, it sort of is. Victoria's been kinda cold towards him. i don't know what you told her about him, but she's seemed to take it seriously. Anyways, I thought you should know that I made a deal with her. I told her if she was nice, I'd take her on a hunt."

"Mer!" Dean exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, i know. Don't get your panties in a bunch. I'll take her on a simple salt and burn case," Meredith reasoned.

"Yeah, okay," Dean said. "It's bound to happen some time, right?"

"Yeah," Meredith said, shooting him an apology smile. Dean just shook his head, smiling a little.

"I can't believe you bribed our daughter," Dean said, an amused smile on his face.

"I can't either," Meredith groaned.

"I knew I had a winner when I asked you to marry me," Dean teased.

"Shut up," Meredith sighed.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Not gonna lie. i had SOOO much fun writing the awkwardness. Thanks to Miss E charlotte who helped me shape my idea about Nate and Sadie coming back as a married couple. i wanted to bring them both back in this story and found a way to do that! Hope you enjoyed the awkwardness as much as I did!<p> 


	23. Every Demon Wants Her Pound of Flesh

Author's Note: OK I KNOW it's been forever since I updated so here is a super long chapter to hold you over before I post the next one. The plan: one more chapter till the Thanksgiving chapter. Jude is coming home next chapter! Then, I will probably spend very little time in December. Maybe one chapter then the Christmas chapter and we all know that Christmases are special for the Winchesters. Then LOTS to come in the Spring (in the story – not Spring in real life, haha. Sorry if I'm confusing. I just get excited!) I also have a lot in store for you guys… so I'm hoping you didn't forget about this story! Also, Elizabeth Hurley plays Sadie, just so you know

Also, this takes place right near Thanksgiving (the Saturday before), so mid November-ish.

* * *

><p>"Alright class, we have a quiz on the muscular and fasciae of the hand," Professor Lowe reminded as students packed up, practically fleeing from their last class of the day.<p>

"Hey, hunt any monsters lately?" someone asked, causing Jude to jump. He turned around, his heart still pounding in his chest, relieved when he saw it was Anna.

"Anna, you know we can't really talk about that here," Jude chuckled, still reeling from the shock it gave him.

"Great conversation starter, huh?" Anna asked back, sarcastically.

"Yeah," Jude said, laughing it off. "Hey, I should get going. I'm going to grab a cup of coffee before starting on my paper."

"Hey, do you mind if I tag along?" Anna asked.

"Not at all," Jude replied, secretly satisfied.

"It's just my shift starts in about thirty minutes," Anna started.

"Shift?" Jude asked, puzzled.

"You know. The kind of thing that you have when you work," Anna teased.

"I know what you meant! I just didn't know you were working at Java Jive," Jude replied.

"Yep," Anna said, popping the 'p' at the end of the word. "Gotta pay the rent, you know?"

"Oh, I hear you on that one," Jude chuckled.

"Way to spend your Friday night, huh? It's just, I'm saving up for the summer. My parents are coming back to the states for all about a week and then heading back to sub-Saharan Africa to do what they call "saving the continent, one child at a time"," Anna said, rolling her eyes at her parents' elitist ways. Sometimes she questioned their reasons for being doctors. She hated how judgmental and pompous they could be sometimes – make that most of the time.

Jude laughed, "Your parents are a trip! I remember when they came down to Peru for a day or two on their way back to the states."

"Sorry about that. I don't think you can un-meet people," Anna sighed. Jude chuckled at her comment. He wanted to lighten the mood since he could tell she was getting so worked up.

"They weren't that bad!" Jude started.

"Oh trust me. They are. Career always comes first with them. God, I'm so jealous of your family. You always make it sound like one big, overbearing, happy family," Anna chuckled.

Jude shook his head, "Yeah, well the overbearing part can get a little too much. I know it may seem like my family's perfect but we have our issues."

"I don't know. Right now, a big, overbearing family seems nice to me. You get to go home and be with your family but not me. I'm staying here and probably working… saving up for grad school. The parents are coming back for my graduation and we'll probably go home, but it's not like I'll pack up the apartment or anything. I'm staying here all summer. God, it's like home is a place I'll be visiting. It's just weird… you know?" Anna said.

"Huh," Jude sounded. Jude held his tongue. He knew exactly what he wanted to say but he knew that they were still on shaky ground. They were still trying to get their friendship in place. If they had been back in Peru, where the two of them had been head over heels for each other, he would've asked her to come home with him in a heartbeat, but right now he knew it wouldn't be a good idea. What would that mean anyways? Usually that meant they were serious… but they weren't. Not now at least. Back then? Maybe.

"Jude, you ok?" Anna asked, pulling Jude from his thoughts.

"What? Yeah," Jude said.

Anna laughed, rolling her eyes, "Don't tell me you were having the 'Cherry Pie' by Warrant' dream again… we all know what that song entails in your imagination – more like what that conjures up."

Jude smirked, "Definitely had the 'Cherry Pie' daydream."

"You're gross," Anna teased, shoving him playfully.

"You suggested it," Jude shrugged.

"Whatever," Anna groaned.

"Come on. If we don't walk fast enough, you are going to make me late, Mr." Anna said, picking up the pace as she and Jude headed over towards the café.

* * *

><p>Early Saturday morning, Nate had met Dean, John, and Meredith over at the Winchester residence, and they were off to Rapid City. Sadie was already there, and had gone the previous night to lure the demon there.<p>

"I still can't believe we're doing this," Dean murmured as the tape in the tape player of the Impala ended.

"Dean," Meredith sighed. Dean took the tape out and then flipped it over for side B. The opening of "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin came on. Meredith took a deep breath, attempting to just relax herself. Things had been so tense after they left the house earlier. "Look, if you didn't want to come, you should've just let John and I take care of it."

"And leave you alone like this? I don't think so!" Dean hissed.

"Dean, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a porcelain doll?" Meredith argued.

"What and leave you with him? I don't think so," Dean growled.

"This is ridiculous, Dean. If this were anyone else, you wouldn't be acting like this! You really can't trust me-," Meredith started.

"Oh I trust you. It's him that I don't," Dean said, cutting her off.

"He's married, Dean!" Meredith exclaimed.

John sat there, uncomfortably, as his parents argued. No one had told him what had happened and he was so damn confused. He couldn't do it any longer.

"Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on?" John asked, cutting both of his parents off. Meredith turned around to look at her son. They should've just told him in the first place but she didn't think Dean was going to act like this… then again, how did she not see this coming?

"John, it's complicated," Meredith started.

"Really because you told Victoria… or at least Dad did," John said. Dean let out a sigh. He knew that he shouldn't have said anything to her but he was so mad at Nate for calling Meredith like that. Even after all this time, Dean still wasn't ready for Nate and Meredith to be friends. He'd never be. She was his wife and he hated the idea of having to share her with a man that had once tried to break them up. "But she won't tell me what happened and neither will Flynn – and you know he knows because she tells him everything."

"Look, you were too young to remember this, but after your grandfather died, your father and I were having a lot of trouble," Meredith started.

"I… became obsessed with getting revenge on the guy that killed him," Dean continued.

"Nate, who's Bobby's nephew showed up and we became friends," Meredith said.

"In my least shining moments, I kept leaving your mother to go on hunts without letting her know. We were fighting a lot and Nate was there for her-," Dean started.

"As a friend," Meredith interjected. "Things got really messy between your dad and I, and Nate had a part to play in it. Your father's… never been able to forgive him for it."

"Mom, you didn't-," John started.

"No. No!" Meredith shook her head. "He kissed me and that was more or less rock bottom for your dad and I."

"And you guys fixed things?" John asked, skeptically.

"It wasn't easy," Meredith chuckled.

"It involved some supernatural intervention. You may find out someday, but you have your own personal cupid," John said.

"Cupid?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. "Dad, that's kinda lame."

"He helped a lot. He talked us through what was going on and uh, reminded us why we love each other so much," Dean replied.

"Phew! Good. There's no way I'd want that guy to be my dad," John said. Dean snickered and Meredith just rolled her eyes.

"So why are we helping this guy out anyways?" John asked.

"John Caleb Winchester, be nice!" Meredith reminded.

"He's a friend of your mom's," Dean grumbled.

"What? If he's one of the reasons you guys were fighting-," John said.

"Oh, that wasn't the only reason," Meredith said, shooting Dean a look. He really couldn't pin this all on Nate.

Dean sighed, "A lot happened back then, John. I-, a lot of it was my fault."

"But-," John started.

"No 'buts'! Besides, if we weren't helping him on this very early Saturday morning, you wouldn't be able to go out on this hunt," Meredith said, making a point. John nodded slowly. She did have a point. He really did want to go out on a hunt… After the first one, he wanted to keep going. He saw what he was capable of and he to admit, he kind of liked the thrill of it all. "Look, we need more information on what this… demon gang is planning. We could get that from this demon."

"Do you think we will?" John asked.

"I don't know," Meredith answered. "But it's worth a shot."

"John, we made a lot of enemies in our hunting days. Your mom's right. It's better if we get as much information as we can early so we can be ready," Dean added. Just then, Meredith's cell phone buzzed and she pulled it out of the pocket of her jeans. She opened up the text message.

**Nate: Plan is a go.**

**Meredith: Great. We're on our way.**

Nate sent her the address they were to go to and all of the details before she said anything to her family, "We're good to go. Sadie's supposed to meet the demon in a few hours. Nate's way ahead of us and he's going to help her with the devil's trap and everything."

"Good. I think we'll make it on time," Dean said, accelerating.

"So what happens if we don't get anything out of the demon? We just… exorcise it?" John asked. His parents had always taught him to exorcise a demon first, just in case the host was still alive.

"Yeah uh… we're leaving that one up to you," Dean said, as he and his with exchanged small, proud glances. They had already come to terms with the fact that their children would hunt. It just wouldn't have to be to the extent that they hunted during their time.

"Really?" John asked, his eyes widening and a small smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah," Meredith answered.

Cool.

* * *

><p>"Hey, everything alright?" Meredith asked, as she, John, and Dean arrived at the old rundown barn on an abandoned farm in Rapid City, South Dakota. She got out of the car, Dean right behind her. John was loading up his gun by the car and would be with them shortly.<p>

"Yep, we're all set to go, Death," Sadie said, cheerfully.

"You're rather chipper in the morning," Meredith said.

"Ohh, I forgot you're not a morning person, Death," Sadie chuckled.

"Hey, I've changed a little bit," Meredith defended herself lightly.

"Oh, please. Do I have to remind you of the time where you were so angry in the morning… where was it… Amsterdam after you had sex in that garden with the guy you met at the bar. You kicked the coffee right over and told me to go to hell," Sadie reminisced.

Meredith groaned, "Oh my God, I can't believe you remember that. And that was Uppsala. We were in Sweden, remember?"

"Oh, right. You really did have a wild side back then, Death," Sadie smirked.

"Right back at you, Die," Meredith answered, equally mischievous.

Nate and Dean just stared, both with their heads turned to the side a little.

"Is this weird? I mean, I assume you've heard all the stories. Just putting a face to the name…" Nate trailed off.

"Definitely weird," Dean said, perplexed. It was so weird hearing his wife described very similar to him before he and Meredith got back together. No wonder she was so great in bed…

"Alright, I'm ready," John said, joining them. John looked from the four adults. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope, sweetie. Come on. We should get into our places," Meredith said, quickly changing the subject. She nodded her head towards the barn to urge her son in that direction.

The five headed into the barn and Sadie stood under the devil's trap while the rest of them positioned themselves equally around the barn, so that any unwelcomed guests could be fought off and back up was right near. Inside the barn, Sadie was ready.

"Alright, you son of a bitch! Get down here. I'll give you what you want. Just don't hurt my daughter," Sadie shouted, looking towards the ceiling. There was nothing there until a voice filled the room.

"You could try asking nicely next time," the voice said. All of a sudden a woman who appeared to be in her twenties appeared. She stood there, staring down Sadie.

"Yeah, and you could come to me first instead of blackmailing me anonymously about hurting my daughter," Sadie snapped.

"And what would be the fun in that?" the demon asked, an evil smile creeping on her face.

"Let's just get this over with, alright?" Sadie asked.

"Of course," the demon said.

"Just do it. Kill me," Sadie said, standing her ground. She knew this demon needed to believe in order to actually pull this off.

"Gladly," the demon sneered, walking towards Sadie. She stopped, as soon as she realized. She looked up, her face twisting as she saw the devil's trap above her. "You know, I thought you were weak enough to cave, but I guess you really do still have that old… spunk, you used to have."

"I thought you knew me better," Sadie challenged.

"You're right. I brought back up," the demon smirked, snapping her fingers. Instantly, there were demons and croats everywhere.

"Now!" Sadie shouted. Suddenly, Meredith and John busted into the barn, eager and ready to kick some demon ass while Dean and Nate came in following as quickly as possible. "Couldn't make this an unfair fight, right?"

The demon frowned, "Bitch."

"Why, thank you," Sadie smiled.

Meredith turned to her son, "Shoot at as many as you can, eliminating the croats, first."

"Got it, Mom. You and Dad trained me well. Don't worry," John smiled, the adrenaline already pumping through his veins. It was go time.

"Be safe," Meredith said. John nodded once before they split up, going in for the fight.

Dean and Nate were instantly greeted by the heftiest of the demons. The demons immediately lunged at them, engaging them immediately in hand to hand combat.

"Two!" John called out, as another croat fell to the floor.

"Good aim. But I've got four," Meredith said.

John just shook his head, unable to resist the temptation to laugh. His mom really was such a badass, "I'm telling you, Mom. I'm gonna kill more than you."

"Challenge accepted," Meredith replied, unconvinced as she spun around, stabbing another croat. "That makes five."

"You're on, Mom," John said, turning around and facing another croat that was about to attack him. His parents really had trained him well. Now he'd get to use it.

All while Dean, Nate, John, and Meredith were facing the gang of demons that had been brought as back up, Sadie was facing her own.

"Just think about your daughter. You don't think I knew you were setting me up? I've got her all tied up right now… literally… one signal from me and those croats will devour her," the demon sneered.

"Shut up!" Sadie yelled, throwing holy water onto the woman. The demon recoiled in agony.

"What do you know about the first?"

"I thought you'd be more concerned about your daughter in this situation. Looks like you are a bad mommy after all," the demon teased, laughing evily. Sadie threw more water on the demon again and she screamed. Sadie looked around and realized all of the other demons were dead. The demon was surprised to but didn't seem to alarmed.

"You know I have more," the demon said, looking around the room of hunters. "I know all your tricks. I used to be one of you, remember?"

Dean shook his head, "You're forgetting one thing, bitch? I went to hell. Picked up a few tricks too. Meredith, go get my bag from the car and leave us two alone."

The demon clicked her tongue against her teeth, "If you wanted to be alone you could've just have said so. You didn't have to go through all this trouble, Dean Winchester." Dean just held his ground, staring her dead straight in those black eyes. He knew he needed to act this way if he was going to torture again. Meredith hated to see him like this but she knew it was what needed to be done.

"Come on," Meredith said, as she and her son left. The rest of them cleared out and Dean shut the door to the barn.

Twenty minutes later, and they hadn't run into any more croats or demons. Meredith and Sadie were sitting on the hood of Sadie and Nate's car. John was flipping through his grandfather John's hunting journal and Nate was pacing, trying to get a hold of his daughter on the phone.

"You okay?" Meredith asked Sadie.

"Yeah," Sadie sighed. "It's just frightening, you know? The stuff she said. What if… what if she was telling the truth-."

"Sadie, don't even go there! You know demons lie all the time. I think if something were to really happen you would've known about it sooner. You said she had been blackmailing you. Wouldn't she have done it already?" Meredith asked, attempting to comfort her old friend.

"Yeah, I guess. But until we can get home and see her. Make sure she's alright. She's staying with Nate's mom right now," Sadie said.

"So your daughter huh? Tell me about her," Meredith said.

"She's amazing, Death! We adopted her about ten years ago. She's in the seventh grade now. Her name's Rachel," Sadie said.

"That's a nice name. You know, after all these years, I mean… you and kids?" Meredith asked, jokingly.

"I could say the same thing about you, with your four kids," Sadie teased.

Just then, the barn doors burst open and Dean came outside, wiping his hands off on a cloth.

"She's dead," Dean said.

"Really?" Sadie asked.

"Yeah, and I got all we needed to know about the First," Dean said. Nate and John both jogged over to them all, eager to hear the news. "This one caved. Didn't take more than twenty five minutes." Dean was stoic and it worried Meredith a little bit.

"Good. Let's head home then," Nate announced.

* * *

><p>The hunters said their goodbyes and parted ways. The Winchesters drove back to their home while the Parkers drove home to theirs. That night, Dean, Meredith, and John were all a little sore from the hunt, but were managing. It was around ten thirty and the kids were all watching a movie. Dean pulled his shirt off, winding down from the day and getting ready to go to bed. Today he had seen a part of himself that he hadn't seen in a while that he wanted to suppress. During the drive home, he snapped back into it and stopped being so stoic – what he needed to be for the torture – and began normal Dean again. He was just afraid of what he had become back there… He pulled on another dark grey t-shirt and was about to take his pants off when he heard something.<p>

"Thank you," Dean heard Meredith say from inside the bathroom.

"For what?" Dean called back, sitting down on the bed and running a hand through his hair.

"For putting your differences aside and helping Nate out," Meredith said back. He looked toward the bathroom that their bedroom led into. The door was cracked and the lighting was dim. What was she doing in there?

"Hey, I didn't do it for Nate. I did it for you," Dean said back.

"So? You still did it. You helped their family. Nate called earlier to say their daughter was fine and they got home alright," Meredith said.

"Huh," Dean sounded.

"Hey, I'm just trying to give you a compliment here. So thank you," Meredith said.

"And?" Dean asked, prompting her.

"And what?" Meredith asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"What else? I did a lot today, baby," Dean smirked. Meredith rolled her eyes, trying to fight the smile on her face. He was so cute when he got cocky – as annoying as it really got.

"And for understanding that I do care about Nate, just as a friend?" Meredith suggested, not knowing what else to say.

"I really don't understand, yet, Mer. And?"

"I know, I know, wishful thinking," she chuckled. "And…" What was he getting at? "I don't know!And for being super handsome?" a girlish laugh followed her statement and Dean couldn't help but bite his lip. He loved the sound of her laugh. If she didn't come out of there soon, he'd go in there. What the hell was she doing?

"I think drop dead sexy is more like it," Dean teased, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Ooh, and modest too," Meredith said, playfully sarcastic.

Dean chuckled, "Mer, come to bed. What the hell are you doing in there anyways?"

"What? You don't want to join me?" Meredith asked, a mischievous tone in her voice. Dean furrowed his brow. What was she up to?

Dean got up from his seated place on the bed and walked towards the bathroom. Dean pushed the door open a little more, raising his eyebrows as soon as he saw his wife in the bath tub. Even though there were bubbles covering her body, Dean still couldn't stop staring. His jaw dropped a little and he felt himself get hard. He searched for the right words but nothing came to mind. Even after all these years of marriage and countless amounts of time that they had made love, Dean still got this turned on at the site of his naked wife.

"Oh hell yeah," he smirked.

"Good. Take off your pants," she smirked.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, grinning wickedly.

In the living room, John, Victoria and Flynn were all sitting around and watching TV. The boys were watching football while Victoria had the laptop in her lap. She finished reading the article she had up, and then closed the laptop, placing it gently on the floor. Victoria made a face as she heard her mom giggle.

John laughed, "You know, the scary thing is that we could all learn a thing or two from Mom and Dad about seducing significant others."

"More like disturbing thing," Victoria said.

"Yeah…" Flynn trailed off, not even wanting to think about it.

"Hey, can you toss me the remote? You guys have had the TV for like two hours now," Victoria asked.

John glared at her, "No! We're not watching Project Runway."

"Shut up, that's a good show!" Victoria protested.

"Yeah, well uh, I bet Flynn's not feelin' that chick show," John said, glancing over at Flynn. Flynn shrugged apologetically at his sister as John looked back at her. "This makes it a two against one vote so looks like we're staying on football.

Victoria scowled, "You suck." She picked up a piece of popcorn from her bowl, throwing it at her brother's head.

"You love me," John gloated as Victoria stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I know that that wasn't much of a goodbye for Sadie and Nate, but that's because it's not goodbye ;). More of them to come as well. Will Dean ever be ready for Mer and Nate to be friends? ... probably not.


	24. The Bringers of Bad News

"Would someone pass the milk, please?" Victoria asked, as she, her twin brother, and her mother all sat at the table.

"Yeah, sure, sweetie," Meredith said, handing her the milk across the table. Flynn looked around the barely filled table.

"I don't think I've ever heard it this quiet," Flynn observed, secretly satisfied.

"Yeah, where is everyone?" Victoria asked.

"Your father always sleeps for hours after a hunt and it looks like your brother gets that from him," Meredith said.

"Not you, Mom?" Flynn asked.

Meredith chuckled, shaking her head 'no', "Nope. After my college days I grew to like mornings and it somehow ended up sticking with me. Even though your father and I are opposites, it ended up working out pretty well. I usually got you guys up in the morning while your father put you to bed while I was practically asleep already."

"Opposites really do attract, huh?" Victoria asked.

"Indeed," Meredith answered.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Victoria volunteered, getting up out of her seat and walking towards the front door. She opened it, seeing Renee on their porch. She smiled to see her. She was so glad that Renee was dating John. Ever since they got together, it was even more obvious than it ever had been that they were perfect for each other! She had been right all along about those two… "Hey."

"Hey, is John here?" Renee asked.

"Yeah, he's asleep right now though," Victoria said.

"Oh," Renee said back.

"What?" Victoria asked.

"It's nothing. It's just he invited me over for breakfast. We haven't been able to spend as much time together ever since he's been so busy with this hunting stuff. I don't want to wake him thought. It should probably-." Renee replied.

"Oh, don't be silly! Go wake him up," Victoria laughed, opening the door wider and stepping inside so that Renee could come into the house.

"You sure?" Renee asked.

"Positive," Victoria answered.

Renee walked in and Victoria closed the door behind her.

"How're you doing?" Renee asked.

"I'm good. You?" Victoria asked.

"Good. So uh… you tell your dad about Tyler yet?" Renee asked, lowering her voice just in case anyone was listening in.

Victoria shook her head, "Not yet. He's been so wrapped up with the hunting stuff that there hasn't been a great time. I will… I need to soon."

"Yeah. If you need any help, you know where to call," Renee said, lightly.

"Thanks," Victoria said. Renee shot her a small, friendly smile before jogging up the stairs to John's room. She peeked inside the room to see him fast asleep on his bed, lying on his stomach. She giggled, seeing him asleep like that. She quiet closed the door behind her before getting into bed right next to him. John groaned, rolling over and wrapping an arm around her.

"Shh. I don't want to wake you up. Go back to sleep," Renee whispered.

"With a hot girl in my bed? You've got to be kidding me," John smirked.

"Should've known that this was a bad idea," Renee chuckled.

"Nope, babe. This is the best idea you've ever had," John smiled.

"How are you? How was the hunt yesterday?" Renee asked.

"Fine," John answered, shortly, smiling at his girlfriend. God, she was beautiful.

"Just fine?" Renee asked.

"Okay, better than fine. Mom and I had a competition to see who could kill more of the croats. I lost but I mean, Mom's had years of hunting so it's not like it's a fair game or anything," John replied.

"Then again, she did train you," Renee teased.

"Shut up," John groaned, rolling onto his back.

"Come on. You should get up. I've got big plans for us today," Renee said.

"What kind of big plans?" John asked, intrigued.

"Okay, maybe I exaggerated when I said big plans. I just thought you and I could go into town today. Go to the records store, maybe hit up the used book store and then get lunch?" Renee suggested.

"Sounds great, babe," John smiled, leaning in and kissing her once.

Downstairs, Dean strolled into the kitchen to find his wife and youngest son at the breakfast table already.

"What time is it?" Dean yawned.

"Ten. Morning, babe," Meredith answered, looking up from her newspaper to say hi to her husband. Good morning, indeed. That had been the best sleep he had gotten in a while. Dean couldn't help but think about what had happened last night between them. He had that dirty 'I got laid last night' smile on his face that he was shameless at making obvious. He bit his lip, not taking his eyes off of his wife as he got his favorite cereal out of the cabinet, and a bowl for it. He placed both things down at the table making a noise, and causing Meredith to look up at him.

Dean still had the look on his face as he went over to the coffee pot, pouring himself some coffee. Meredith could feel his eyes on her as she returned to her paper. Finally, she looked up to see him leaning against the cabinet and sipping his coffee, just looking at her. Their eyes made eye contact. She knew that look. It was that look that he worn the morning after they had had sex. The look he had worn when they had fixed things after the whole Nate/Amazonian warrior issues and the look he had worn during the entirety of their honeymoon. He had shamelessly worn it many times throughout their lives together

"Dean," she warned.

"What?" Dean asked innocently. It was no use.

"Nothing," she sighed, returning to her newspaper.

Flynn looked up, looking from his mom to his dad. Ew, they were having a moment weren't they? As Meredith tried to concentrate on her newspaper, she could just feel Dean's eyes on her. She needed to get out of there fast or she was going to jump his bones right there and then.

"I'm going to go get dressed," Meredith announced, before getting up and hurrying out the kitchen.

"Do I even want to know-," Flynn started.

"Nah," Dean said, brushing it off. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."

"Looks like it," Flynn said.

Meredith walked towards her room, running her fingers through her hair. God, why was it still possible that her husband made her so hot just from a look? Meredith went into her room, not bothering to close the door and picked out her clothes. She practically jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice.

"Mom, can I talk to you about something?" she heard someone say. Meredith turned around to see her daughter standing in the doorway of her bedroom.

"Yeah, of course, what is it? Come sit," Meredith requested. Victoria nodded, sitting down on her mom's bed. "I'm just going to change quickly. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Can I close the door then?" Victoria asked.

"Sure," Meredith replied. "What's going on, sweetie?" Meredith cracked the door to the bathroom as she got dressed.

"It's about Tyler," Victoria started.

"Is everything okay?" Meredith asked, concerned.

"Yeah, everything's great with us. It's just I haven't exactly told Dad yet," Victoria replied.

"Yeah…" Meredith trailed off. With John and Jude – even Flynn – it wasn't a big deal but Victoria was Dean's little girl and Meredith knew that he was overprotective of his daughter. Dean knew what boys were like – hell, he was still, after all these years, a horny high school boy. She was afraid of how he'd react but they had kept it from him long enough.

"Mom, I just… I don't know how to tell him," Victoria sighed. Victoria watched as her mom came out of the bathroom and sat down on the bed next to her. Victoria looked over at her mom for guidance.

Meredith nodded, "I know. Believe me. At least your father approves of Tyler. You can imagine what it was like to tell my dad that your father and I were dating. Your father loves you, sweetie. He just wants you to be happy."

"I've got to tell him, don't I?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Meredith said. "You want my help?"

"No, I think I'll do it," Victoria replied. "I'm going to pick Jude up from the airport with Dad after breakfast so I'll do it then."

"Okay," Meredith said. She had her fingers crossed for Victoria but Lord know show that conversation was going to go.

* * *

><p>Victoria sat in the passenger seat next to her father in silence. They had made some small talk but the conversation had died down and now it was just… silence. Victoria dreaded what was coming next. She didn't even know how she was going to tell her dad. How was he going to react? What happened if he flipped out? Maybe he was just being nice around Tyler but secretly didn't like him. Oh God. That would be the worst. Tyler was a nice guy… there's no way that his actions could be misconstrued right? Then again, her dad would only say she was blinded by love. Here goes nothing. She had to do it. It was now or never and they were getting closer and closer to the airport.<p>

"Dad, can I talk to you about something?" Victoria asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Dean said, staring straight ahead.

"You remember Tyler, right? I went to the masquerade with him… we hang out all the time… he lives next door to us," Victoria started, nervously.

"Yeah, what about him?" Dean asked, looking over at his daughter. They neared an intersection and the light was green.

"Well-," Victoria started. Oh what the hell. Do it. Like ripping off a band aid. "Dad, we're dating. As in… dating dating."

At that moment, Dean slammed on the breaks, his eyes widening, "What?"

"Hey, the light is green, buddy! Get out of the way!" someone yelled as car horns began to honk.

"Yeah," Victoria said, trailing off.

Dean swallowed hard before beginning to drive the car again, "You're what?" This time, Dean asked more calmly, but he was still in shock.

"We're dating. We, well we kissed after the masquerade dance and we decided we wanted to try something. Look, he's a really nice guy, Dad. I wanted to tell you but you were so busy with the hunting stuff that I didn't want to worry you anymore," Victoria started.

"I-, I get why you didn't tell me then but… Victoria, you're fourteen," Dean argued.

"So is Flynn and he's dating Paige," Victoria shot back.

Dean sighed, thinking it over. His little girl wasn't a little girl anymore. He was getting constant reminders of that. Why couldn't she just stay little forever? But no. She was in high school, dating boys – let alone kissing them! His little girl had had her first kiss. Damn, since when did she grow up this fast?

"You're right," Dean admitted, reluctantly.

"I am?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Dean sighed. He knew that Tyler was making her happy and as much as Dean wanted to keep her from this whole dating thing as long as he could, he wouldn't deny her happiness. He hated admitting this, but it was true."Besides, I can't say I don't like him. He's, he doesn't seem too bad, I guess. But if he does anything to you-."

"Dad, he's not like that," Victoria interjected.

"If he does, he's dead. I hope you know that," Dean said.

"Yes, Dad. I know," Victoria chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"He's good to you? You know, holds doors, says 'bless you' when you sneeze?" Dean asked.

"Yes, Dad!" Victoria groaned.

"Good. Come on. We're going to be late for Jude if I keep driving like an old lady," Dean said, accelerating, the engine roaring as they sped off towards the airport.

* * *

><p>"Rusty, huh? You'll get the hammer on back in no time. Trust me. One day, I'll come home and your guitar playing will sound just like Tracy Chapman's," Meredith heard a voice say. She stopped everything she was doing immediately, a smile spreading across her face and smiled. She turned around, seeing her son standing in the door way. She put the guitar down and got up, walking towards her son.<p>

"Hi, honey," she smiled, hugging him.

"Mom, it's not like it's a surprise or anything," Jude started.

"I know, but it's so good to see you," Meredith said, still hugging her son.

Jude gasped, "Mom, can't breathe."

"Right, sorry," Meredith said, pulling apart from him. "I haven't seen you… what? Two months. You look different."

"Mom, you and I both know that I stopped growing a while ago," Jude teased.

"I know, there's just something different about you," Meredith replied. "But anyways, I hope the welcome wagon wasn't too much of a disappointment. The car ride home was… okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Jude asked, nonchalantly

"No reason, your sister just dropped a bomb on your dad, that's all," Meredith replied. Jude shot her a questioning look. "Your sister has a boyfriend."

"What? Isn't she like… seven?" Jude exclaimed, his eyes widening. His mom shot him a look and Jude shrugged. "I'm kidding!"

Meredith chuckled, "No, she's fourteen and it's perfectly normal for her to have a boyfriend at this age. If I remember right, you had a girlfriend when you were… six? Ah, yes. Katarina Granger. You gave her your shoe laces."

A wide grin spread across his face as he remembered that, "Aw yeah! That's a Winchester man thing, Mom. John gave his shoe laces to Renee when they were kids. I'm actually pretty sure that she still has one of them. Speaking of those two… that happened?"

"Mhm. See what happens when you go away to college? You miss all of the hot gossip back at home," Meredith teased.

"Yeah…" Jude trailed off.

"Speaking of, there's something your father and I need to talk to you about," Meredith started.

"What is it?" Jude asked, concerned.

"Remember the demon thing we told you about towards the beginning of the month? I told you not to worry about it," Meredith started.

"What about it?" Jude asked.

"Come here," Meredith said, ushering her son towards the living room. There, Dean was waiting for them, sitting on the couch. What was this? Some kind of ambush?

"Is everything okay?" Jude asked, nervously as he sat down on the couch with his parents. Where were his siblings?

"It turns out the small demon issue ended up being a big one," Dean replied.

"How so?" Jude asked back.

"It's not just happening to our family. It's happening to others too. Your Uncle Sam's been doing a lot of research and apparently a lot of other people have been having problems. He's been some calls… old friends have been running into the same thing," Meredith answered.

"Just yesterday, we helped out one of… your mom's old friends with the same thing. And you know-," Dean started.

"Nothing's ever a coincidence. Yeah, I know," Jude said.

"Look, we don't want to worry you but we do want you to know that it's not something that's going away like that. It may be something we'll be dealing with for a while and if it's as big as we think it is…" Meredith trailed off.

"When you come home, you and John, especially you, are going to have to be really careful," Dean warned.

"Wait, you don't think this has anything to do with the prophecy, do you?" Jude asked.

Meredith bit her lip, "We have to consider every possibility and since you've been eighteen for… a little over three years… you're not protected anymore like John is."

"So what're you saying? That I may get attacked at college or something?" Jude asked, panicked.

"No, not at all. We're just saying be careful," Dean corrected.

Jude paused. He didn't know what to say. During high school, he had been a really active hunter, but after he graduated, he knew he couldn't spread himself so thinly anymore. He decided to completely commit to school and it was working out for him really well. He liked the life that he had. He recalled the dreadful sleepless nights of getting back from a hunt and then studying his ass off to ace a math test. He couldn't do that again – especially right before med school. What was he supposed to do?

"You- you always said I had a choice right? To hunt or… to stay out of it?" Jude finally asked. This shocked Meredith and Dean and they tried not to show it.

"Of course," Meredith said back.

"Uh huh," Dean managed to get out.

"I-, it's not that I don't care. I do. It's just… I don't know if I can do that again. I can't come back home all the time and-," Jude started.

"Sweetie, we're not asking you to do that. Not at all! We just want you to be careful. Let us know if something happens. Just keep an eye out," Meredith said.

Jude nodded slowly, "I'm sorry. This is just a lot to take in. Would anyone mind if I went upstairs… took a nap or something? I've been up since the crack of dawn and I'm pretty jet lagged."

"Sure," Meredith said.

"Go for it," Dean said back. Jude smiled politely before escaping upstairs.

"So much for that. I feel bad that we ambushed him like that. Maybe we should've waited to tell him," Meredith.

"Kinda like how you all waited to tell me about Victoria and Tyler?" Dean asked back.

Meredith sighed, "Sorry."

"It's okay… she's just growing up way too fast. Sometimes I wish we had a pause button," Dean said.

"Me too," Meredith agreed. Meredith then began to laugh a little. "God, what is up with today? It's like us Winchesters are bringers of bad news today."

"No shit," Dean said.

* * *

><p>Dean knocked on the door to the Gallagher house. In several seconds, the door was opened and Kitty was there.<p>

"Dean, hi," she greeted.

"Hey, can we talk?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" Kitty asked, concerned. Dean nodded, to signal that they needed to talk outside alone. She closed the door behind her, facing Dean as they stood on the porch. "Is everything alright?"

"Sort of. Listen, as you know, hunting was messy. Hunters made enemies… it just, it wasn't a pretty business. There have been a series of incidences… old hunters come back from the dead to get their revenge as demons. Apparently their building an army and taking croats too. If you had any enemies that died on hunts with your or have any reason to blame you, be careful. I know you and Bryan have decided not to tell your children, but it could get dangerous," Dean explained.

Kitty nodded slowly, "Alright, yeah. Thanks, Dean. We'll uh, we'll look into it."

"Yeah. No problem," Dean said back.

Kitty had a worried look on her face. This was the last thing she had been expecting. Were they going to have to tell their kids? It was getting harder and harder to keep it from them with the Winchesters around. She could tell that the Flynn and Victoria were actively keeping a secret from her children, but she never knew when someone could slip up. But this? This problem? This could set it all off.


	25. Hot Summer Nights

"Thanks for the orange juice, Jude," Victoria said, sitting up in bed and sipping some of the orange juice out of the glass.

"No problem. Do you need me to get you anything else?" Jude asked.

"Look at you, Dr. Winchester. Bed side manner is a check. Just don't know about your actual doctoring seeing as the last time I checked orange juice never really actually cured sick patients," Victoria teased.

"Hey, I'm just being a good big brother, okay? You're already hyped up on Sudafed. There's… not much more we can do," Jude replied, saying the last part dramatically.

"Por que?" Victoria cried out dramatically. "Oh, that's gross. I'm so congested."

"The Sudafed should kick in at any moment," Jude chuckled. Jude made to leave but Victoria said something before he could actually go.

"Could you stay here with me? Tell me about college. Anything to distract me from my impending death," Victoria groaned, sniffling. Of course, it didn't work and she could barely breathe out of her nose. She was hyped up on Sudafed and knew she'd be out soon enough.

"Victoria, you're not dying. You have a sinus infection," Jude reminded.

"Yeah, whatever, Dr. Winchester. Hey, that's actually kinda cool. Speaking of, tell me about docterly things. Please, Jude," Victoria begged, desperate to get her mind off of her sinus infection. "I barely got to say goodbye to Tyler. Please distract me!"

"Alright, fine," Jude chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully. Damn. His baby sister had a boyfriend. Now this was news. "I-, there's not much to tell. College is… college. It's been the same as usual."

"Come on. There's gotta be something…" Victoria trailed off, doing her best attempt at her cousin's trademark puppy dog eyes. They didn't work as well for her but at least she could say she tried. "You're a Winchester. There's gotta be a girl! There's always a girl." Jude laughed, shaking his head but not responding. Victoria's eyes widened as she sat up even more. "Oh my God, there is a girl, isn't there? And you don't want to tell us about her because you know we'll want to meet her… which means it's serious! Oh, and of course you don't want her to meet your big, crazy family out of fear that we'll scare her off. Yeah, okay, I get it. You're ashamed of us but the least you could do is tell us! Tell me. Please?"

"You know, Dad keeps telling me that you're growing up faster every day but you still manage to act like my annoying little sister no matter how old you get," Jude teased.

"You love me," Victoria shot back, playfully.

"Ah… you're right. Damn it," Jude swore under his breath, jokingly.

"Hey!" Victoria exclaimed, punching him.

"Ow! Wow, that right hook of yours is getting better too. Maybe I shouldn't leave for college anymore," Jude said.

"Why thank you," Victoria said back, proudly. "Don't change the subject, Jude. Tell me about this girl. I won't tell anyone and you know how good I am at keeping secrets."

"Victoria, it's not-," Jude started.

"Sick sister, remember?" Victoria interrupted.

"Wow, you really are sending me on a guilt trip, huh?" Jude asked back. Victoria nodded and Jude laughed, rolling his eyes. "You and Dad both… anyways…" Jude sighed before continuing. "Yes, there is a girl. Well, was."

"I knew it! I knew there was a girl!" Victoria exclaimed.

"Do you want me to finish this story or not?" Jude teased.

"Fine," Victoria said, narrowing her eyes at her brother. "So how'd you meet her?"

"I met her in Peru…"

**~Flashback~**

"Alright people, we've got to go. People's lives are on the line. Winchester and Peterson, you're with me. Caldwell and Laurence, you're with the other Dr. Morales, and Thomas and Williams, you're on clinic duty. You got that?" the female doctor asked, ordering everyone around. There were nods and mutters of 'yes' in response before they decided to split up.

"Peters, Winchester, give me us a minute would you?" the woman asked, before heading over to the tall, Colombian man.

"Hey, I'm Jude," Jude introduced, turning to the girl next to him. She had long black hair, pulled up into a ponytail and beautiful green eyes. He couldn't help checking her out. It was in his blood. He tried to shake it off, but it didn't work, so he at least tried to make it not so obvious.

"Anna Peters," the girl replied. She didn't so much seem to mind that he was checking her out because she seemed to be doing the same thing.

"Nice to meet you," Jude said, extending his hand for her to shake. She took it, smiling at him.

"You too. How lucky are we? First day and we're already working with Dr. Jennie Montgomery," Anna said.

"Uh… this is kind of embarrassing, but fill me in on the details? I mean, I know she's like medical royalty," Jude started.

Anna chuckled, "It's fine. The only reason I know is because my parents are friends of theirs." Anna nodded towards the couple as they talked, delegated what needed to be done. Those are the Moraleses. She and her husband Daniel are practically surgery gods! Just so that things are less on confusing, she usually goes by Montgomery instead but she did take Daniel's name. She came to this same program as a surgeon and they got married. They went back to the states for a while but came back about five years ago to run this place once the previous director resigned."

"Gotcha. Morales… I think I may have read an article in a medical journal about some breakthrough in cardio thoracic," Jude started.

"That's most likely her," Anna replied.

"So uh, you're family friends?" Jude asked, curiously.

"Not really. Well, sort of. My parents are just like them but you know, without souls," Anna replied.

That caught Jude off, causing him to laugh, "Oh, come on. I'm sure they're not that bad."

"Oh, you don't know my parents," Anna said. She laughed a little. "But I'm not about to tell you my entire life story. I just met you." Jude looked around to see that Montgomery and her husband were still talking to each other.

"Alright. Well, how about after all this, you and I head over to the cantina and grab a couple of beers?" Jude suggested.

Anna giggled, shooting him a funny look, "Did you just use a line on me?"

Jude sighed, "Yeah, it's kind of in my blood."

She smiled a sweet smile, looking up at him out of those beautiful green eyes, "Okay, but under one condition."

"What's that?" Jude asked back.

"I tell you my life story and you tell me yours," Anna replied.

"Fair enough," Jude answered.

"Alright then. Let's hope we make it through the day," Anna said, a small smile playing on her lips. She looked to see that Dr. Montgomery was heading towards them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jude asked back, curiously. This girl was a firecracker.

"Being out in the jungle – not so easy," Anna answered.

"Alright, you two ready?" Montgomery asked.

Anna and Jude exchanged glances before replying, "Yes."

**~End Flashback~**

"I can't believe you just asked her out like that!" Victoria exclaimed, laughing.

"Like I said before. It's in my blood. It's a Winchester thing," Jude defended himself.

"Yeah, but at least she took it well. You make it sound like she was checking you out too," Victoria replied.

Jude shrugged, "What can I say? I'm a good looking guy, Vi."

"Oh, and looks like you inherited Dad's modesty quality too," Victoria teased.

"Yeah, whatever," Jude said, rolling his eyes.

"So what happens next? Did you guys get those beers?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, we did," Jude answered.

**~Flashback~**

"Que querian hoy?" the bartender asked.

"Me gustaria una cerveza para mi, y una cerveza para mi amigo, por favor," Anna ordered.

"Bueno, senorita. Tendre las cerveza en uno momento," the bartender replied.

"Gracias," Anna answered. She looked to Jude to find him just staring at her in amazement. "What?"

"You speak Spanish?" Jude asked, impressed.

"Yeah, I took it in high school and then did a study abroad program my sophomore year for a semester in Spain," Anna answered.

"Wow," Jude managed to say.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him, "What? Are you going to say that you find that incredibly sexy?"

"Actually, yes," Jude answered.

She laughed, "Jude, Jude, Jude… so predictable," she teased.

"I'm kidding! Seriously. What I was going to say was that it was impressive. I don't think I could learn another language like that," Jude said.

"Immersion is key. I would offer to help you out, but I'm still learning myself. Spanish in Spain is pretty different than here," Anna replied.

"Oh yeah? See, I didn't even know that," Jude replied.

"That must be because I'm smarter than you," Anna joked, straightening up.

"Hey, no one said anything about that," Jude said.

"I'm a girl. It's a given," Anna said.

"Wow… now you want to play the girl card. Can't say I didn't see that coming. Guess you're the predictable one know," Jude said back.

Anna raised an eyebrow but before the bartender came back with their beers.

"Una cerveza para la hermosa dama y la otra para la cerveza de el hombre que está tratando de entrar en los pantalones," the bartender said, placing both beers down.

"Gracias," Anna replied, her pronunciation perfect.

"Gracias," Jude added, nodding once to the guy. They both took a sip of their beers before Anna began laughing. The bartender hadn't left yet and was eying Jude funnily.

"Cuidado, senorita," the man said, before finally leaving. Anna began laughing as Jude looked from the bartender who was helping someone else, and Anna.

"What? What'd he say?" Jude asked.

"Nothing. He just thinks you're trying to get into my pants," Anna replied.

"What?" Jude exclaimed.

"Well, are you?" Anna asked, flirtatiously challenging him.

Jude bit his lip, "Depends. I haven't heard your life story yet which is what we originally decided to do here. You know, I gotta make sure that after we hook up, you won't go all crazy, possessive, girlfriend on me."

"Who says we're hooking up?" Anna challenged. "And besides, if anyone was to go all 'crazy, possessive' on anyone if we hooked up, it'd definitely be you."

"I'll hold you to that," Jude answered, smirking.

"You really want to hear my life story?" Anna asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, why not?" Jude asked back.

"Okay, but if you want to kill me by the end because I'm so boring or you get so sick of me, I can't say I didn't warn ya," Anna started.

"I won't," Jude chuckled.

"Alright," Anna said.

"Oh, and Anna?" Jude asked.

"Yeah?" she asked back.

"For the record, I do find you incredibly sexy," Jude replied. "Damn it. See? There I go again. It's… kind of genetic… the forewardness." Jude rolled his eyes as he couldn't believe he had said that. In his late years of high school and early years of college, stuff like that never bothered him but he had grown up since then. Or at least he thought he had.

Anna opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out of her mouth. She tried to hide her smiled, shaking her head. Instead of answering Jude, she continued her story. God, this boy was going to make this summer interesting for her.

**~End Flashback~**

"Jude, you fox!" Victoria teased.

"I just kind of blurted it out," Jude shrugged.

"Okay so what happened next? It sounds like she was into you," Victoria asked.

"We worked together every day and things got kinda… you know… flirty. We got pretty close too. I think she was worried that the attraction was just physical but it was so much more," Jude replied.

"Oh yeah?" Victoria asked. Jude nodded slowly. He hated that he sounded like such a girl, talking to Victoria about this but he couldn't help himself. He needed to sort out his feelings for her soon before it was too late.

**~Flashback~**

"Holy shit. Jude. I- I can't go out there," Anna stammered, sitting on the floor in one of the medical supply closets. "I can't. My parents are world class surgeons. I can't face them. They're going to have expectations and, well, you know, it's not like I'm making breakthroughs or anything here and-."

"Anna, stop. Look, I know you're freaking out but you're forgetting something else. Your parents are your parents. Don't you think they may have come here to see you, not just to check up on progress you're making in your career?" Jude asked.

Anna shook her head, "Jude, my family's not like yours. We don't do that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, well maybe this is their way of doing it," Jude said.

Anna just looked up at him. He had a point and she had to admit that she loved seeing this side of him. She had seen that flirty side of him when they were at the cantina with friends, the friendly side of him when they were working, and the doctor side of him when they were out in the field, which she happened to find incredibly hot. But this side, the comforting, caring one. She had only seen him like this with patients but with her… he really cared for her, didn't he?

"Deep breath, okay? Come on. We'll do it together. Just introduce me as your friend. I'll be with you the whole time," Jude comforted.

"You'd do that? You'd endure a whole dinner with my crazy parents?" Anna asked.

"Of course," Jude said. "Look, you're my best friend here. I care about you."

Anna smiled, "Thank you."

"Come on," Jude urged, offering his hand out to her. She took a deep breath before taking it, Jude helping her up to her feet. "And if they try to give you a hard time, don't worry. I'll tell them all about their amazing, sexy, talented doctor that is their daughter."

Anna laughed, rolling her eyes, "Can you leave out the sexy part? Maybe not parent appropriate."

"Just a little bit," Jude replied, sarcastically.

Anna laughed again, "Thank you, Jude. You don't know how much this means to me."

"It's no problem," Jude replied. And it wasn't. It was all true. He cared about her.

**~End Flashback~**

"Aw, Jude that's so sweet, but get to the good part. Please tell me you kissed her," Victoria said.

"Yeah, that did happen…" Jude chuckled, fondly remembering their first kiss.

**~Flashback~**

Jude and two of his friends were walking back from the beach, shirtless. As they approached the cantina, Anna and a few of the people she was sitting with at the bar spotted the three men.

"Damn, Jude Winchester. God he's sexy," Erica smirked.

"Yeah, too bad he only has eyes for Anna," Chelsea added.

"What? He does not!" Anna protested.

"Uh, yeah he does. We see the way he looks at you. Girl, you lucked out. Not only were you assigned to work with Dr. Montgomery Morales but you get to work with Jude every day," Chelsea sighed, staring at Jude.

"Guys, there's nothing going on between Jude and I," Anna denied, even though she doubted her denial.

"Prove it," Chelsea urged.

"Yeah. Go over and kiss him. If there's nothing there… well then I'll go for him," Erica challenged.

"Fine," Anna said. She got up, marched right up to Jude and kissed him. Wolf whistles and cheers came from the other people in the bar before Jude pulled away.

"Anna!" he exclaimed, shocked, a smile appearing on his face.

"What? I thought you found me incredibly sexy. Your words not mine," Anna smirked.

"I do but-," Jude started.

"Then kiss me," Anna replied. She was testing. After that kiss, she knew her feelings for him. So what were his? Jude was still in shock. She stared at her long and hard before kissing her. Anna kissed him back with just as much force and passion that he kissed her with. Jude pulled her a little closer to him. Finally, the two pulled away from each other just looking at each other.

"How come we waited so long?" Jude asked.

"I have no idea," Anna replied. All this time, they had tried to keep things professional, but now they couldn't figure out why.

**~End Flashback~**

"Tell me more," Victoria said, drowsily. She was falling asleep but still wanted to hear more. Stupid Sudafed. She was determined to stay up long enough to hear the end of the story.

"Okay…" Jude trailed off.

~Flashback~

Jude walked by the cabin that Anna shared with two other girls because it was on his way. It was late at night and he figured no one would be up but was headed towards the beach. He continued walking and froze when he heard footsteps behind him.

"What? Scared of the dark?" he heard the all too familiar voice ask. A smile spread across his face as he turned around to see Anna walking towards him. "Heading to the beach?"

"I didn't mean to wake you up," Jude started.

"You didn't. Come on," Anna said, grabbing his hand as they walked together down to the beach. Ever since their kiss in the cantina a week and a half ago, Jude and Anna had been a thing – well as much as a thing that a summer fling could be. The both of them knew that this wasn't permanent and were just enjoying each other. As soon as they reached the beach, Anna dropped the towel that was in her other hand and headed towards the ocean, Jude right behind her.

"You brought a towel?" Jude asked, seeing the towel in her hand.

"Thought we could go swimming," Anna said.

A smirk spread across Jude's face, "I like how you think."

"I thought you would," Anna answered, before lifting her shirt over her head. Jude took off his shirt and heard a crash in the ocean as he saw that Anna had beat him to it, stripped all the way down and run into the water. Jude shook his head. Damn he was lucky. He pushed his shorts and boxers down before chasing her into the water.

**~End Flashback~**

"Woah! Jude, way too much information," Victoria said.

"I thought you were sleeping," Jude said back.

"No. Now tell me something else so I'm not scarred for life," Victoria begged.

"Fine," Jude sighed, still dwelling on their night together. He'd never forget that night they spent together. After that, they went back to the cabins, took a shower, and since Jude's cabin mates were all out, they spent hours together in that cabin… not sleeping.

"What happened in the end?" Victoria asked.

"We ran into a demon in the field… I hunted it and I kinda had to tell her the family secret," Jude confessed with a sigh.

**~Flashback~**

"You what?" Anna exclaimed.

"Look, this doesn't change anything. I'm still me. I-, it's just that my family… we know things that other people don't. We know about angry spirits like the one we met back there, werewolves, shapeshifters, vampires…" Jude attempted to explain.

"Those are real too?" Anna asked, her eyes widening.

"Yes, but my family, we hunt them. There are other people like us out there too," Jude said.

"I-, I don't know what to say, Jude," Anna said.

"Anna," he started.

"I, give me time to think, okay? I just, I don't know what… what you just told me…" Anna trailed off.

"What so you don't believe me? You think I'm making this up?" Jude asked, defensively.

"No! Of course not. I mean, after what we saw? I just, I think we should take time off. I need to think and this program is almost over so maybe it'll be good. We can adjust you know, if we take a break and-," Anna started.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Jude asked, hurt.

"I guess, yeah. But just for now. Just until-," Anna started.

"Yeah, okay. I guess we weren't really much anyways. We never… defined anything," Jude said.

"Jude, don't say that!" Anna protested, her eyes welling up with tears.

"It's true right? It's easier for you, right?" Jude asked back. He hated that he was acting this way but it only because he was hurt. He cared about her and after opening up and sharing with her one of the biggest parts of his life, she was shutting him out. And that sucked. A lot. He knew it was a lot to take in but to break up with him like that? That really sucked.

"Jude," she pleaded.

"I should go," Jude said, avoiding eye contact.

Anna held her ground. She wanted to ask him to stay. Say she was sorry but she did have a point. This program would end soon and they'd go back to their normal lives. She was transferring schools and she had no idea where it'd take her. There were acceptance letters waiting for her at home and she'd have to see then. There was no way that she could bank on being with Jude. She had to just let him go and maybe, just maybe after she was done thinking, she'd be able to say goodbye to him properly. For now, this would have to do. They had one more week to say goodbye.

**~End Flashback~**

"And you left early! You didn't even say goodbye, did you?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Jude sighed. Victoria then smacked him across the shoulder. "Ow!"

"Jude, that was such a dick move," Victoria chastised.

"I know, I know. But we worked things out. She's at Drexel now and… we're friends," Jude answered.

"Right. Because that worked out for you the first time," Victoria said, sarcastically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jude asked.

"Look, it's obvious you still have feelings for her. She's at your school and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if she picked Drexel partly because of you. Whether it was to get closure or because she still has feelings for you too… I don't know. She must care about you a lot to follow you all the way to Pennsylvania," Victoria replied, honestly.

Jude knew his sister had a point, "Damn it. Why are you so smart?"

"Because I'm your smart ass little sister," Victoria shrugged.

"So you think I should… you know go for it?" Jude asked.

"Yeah," Victoria answered in a 'well-duh' tone.

Jude laughed, rolling his eyes, "I don't know. Taking advice from a fourteen year old is a little risky."

"Hey, I've got the successful, happy relationship here. You should probably listen to me," Victoria said.

"Woah! I don't appreciate that sass, missy," Jude teased.

"Come on, Jude. Don't be a chicken. Just give her a call. Let her know you still care about her," Victoria encouraged.

"You know, that's not a bad idea," Jude sighed.


	26. A Very Winchester & Walsh Thanksgiving

"Life is a mystery. Everyone must stand alone. I hear you call my name, and it feels like home…" Ethan sang, stopping everything that we were doing. "Take it away, Mer!" Ethan and Meredith both waited for the chorus before resuming any cooking or dancing.

"When you call my name, it's like a little prayer. I'm down on my knees. I want to take you there. In the midnight hour, I want to feel you power. Just like a prayer. You know I'll take you there!" Meredith sang as she and Ethan danced around the kitchen of the Winchester house. The three families always took turns hosting Thanksgiving at their homes and this year, it was at Dean and Meredith's.

"Ah, it's just like the good old days. Madonna… thanksgiving food… all we're missing is Mom and the Falcon," Ethan sighed happily.

"Yeah, but at least you're mom is happy in Florida with Terrence. I'm glad she finally found someone after your dad," Meredith answered.

"Yeah. At first I wasn't quite sure how I felt about him but he's a great guy… a pretty cool step dad too," Ethan replied.

"And as a step grandfather?" Meredith asked back.

"Not too shabby," Ethan teased.

"Gotcha," Meredith said.

"Dad, are you listening to Madonna?" Renee asked, going into the kitchen and getting a glass of water.

"Of course, sweetie. I hope you wouldn't expect any less," Ethan replied. Meredith laughed at Ethan's response and he playfully glared at her.

"Hey, if anyone needs any help I can help," Victoria offered, going into the kitchen.

"The invalid? No. Gross!" John protested coming into the kitchen as well.

"I will trip you," Victoria warned. "Besides, I'm all better. It was like a two day thing. Jesus!"

"If it counts for anything, I give you permission," Renee chimed in.

"What?" John exclaimed in surprise.

"What? You're being mean to your sister," Renee shrugged, kissing him on the cheek.

"Oh, man! I left my camera in the car," Ethan said, as he was in the middle of cutting potatoes up.

"I'll get it for you, Dad," Renee volunteered.

"Thanks, sweetie. Here are the keys," Ethan said, pulling the car keys out of his pocket.

"No problem," Renee said. She then turned to John. "Hey, I'll meet you back in the living room to watch the game. I can't stand that the Seagulls are up by one. Looks like this game is going to be a close one."

"So hot," John smirked, taking her hand as they walked out of the kitchen together towards the living room where the football game was on.

Ethan and Meredith exchanged glances.

"You know, I never thought I'd say this, but she's good for him. Gets him to tone down the ego," Ethan admitted.

"Sorry, dude. It's kind of in the genes- the ego things that is. You can blame my husband," Meredith answered .

"Oh, I do already," Ethan said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, be nice," Meredith warned.

"I guess I have to since he's my best friend's husband and all…" he trailed off.

"Oh, shut up. I've caught you and Dean in several 'bromantic' moments," Meredith said, calling her best friend out.

Ethan gasped dramatically, "No!"

"Si!" Meredith exclaimed, jokingly.

"You two are too funny," Victoria chuckled, just shaking her head. "And slightly embarrassing."

"Hey, watch it, missy," Meredith warned, jokingly as Victoria started to leave the kitchen.

"Okay, Mom," Victoria said back, taking the warning with a grain of salt.

"Since when did she grow up and become all sassy?" Ethan asked.

"Beats me. Since when did she grow up and get a boyfriend? That's the real question," Meredith asked back.

"I like to ask that question about Renee sometimes, but with John, I honestly can't say that I didn't see it coming. I think that's why I didn't freak out. We all knew it'd happen since… day one," Ethan replied, with a small sigh.

"Hey, I can't complain. Renee's a great girl and it's about time that John dated one," Meredith added.

"At my expense," Ethan coughed.

"John's a good kid, Ethan," Meredith tried to reason.

"I know. I just don't want him going and breaking her heart or anything…" Ethan trailed off.

"You know, he's a lot more fragile than he looks," Meredith said.

Outside of the kitchen, Renee just stood there listening. She had returned with her dad's car keys but couldn't help listening to their conversation. Meredith was right. She hadn't really given it much thought but underneath that tough guy, manly man exterior, John was really sweet. Of course she had seen this side of him but she had never really thought about it. It scared her, really. What if she was the one to break his heart? She always feared that John would break hers but what if things ended up the other way around? They had been best friends since forever and she cared about him. She would never dream of that. Luckily, things didn't look like they were going in that direction.

"Okay, I got your camera, Dad. I gave it to Mom and she is snapping away so no worries. You will have tons of pointless pictures of people watching the game by the end of this night," Renee chuckled.

"Thanks," Ethan replied.

Renee left the kitchen, heading towards the living room. She saw a spot near John and sat down right next to him, shooting him a small smile.

"Alright kids, smile," Molly said, aiming the camera towards them. "Oh come on. Act like you like each other." John and Renee exchanged glances, laughing a little. Renee rolled her eyes playfully as she scooted over closer to John, leaning against him as he put his arm around her. "That's adorable, you two." Molly took a couple more pictures before getting up to go take pictures of Ethan and Meredith cooking in the kitchen.

Renee looked out the window to see Iz, Jackson, Haley, Flynn, and Victoria all playing basketball outside. She returned to her focus to the game on TV, but as Renee tried to focus on the game, she couldn't fight the feeling that someone was watching her. She turned to John to see him looking at her. She shot him a funny before crossing her arms over her chest and returning her focus to the game. Again, the feeling didn't go away. She looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," John answered definitely.

"What about the game?" Renee asked, her eyes widening. "John, if the Seagulls win-."

John leaned in whispering in her ear, "You know, as hot as I find the fact that you're almost as into football as I am, I've got a better idea."John nodded once before getting up and offering his hand out to Renee. Cole and Jude exchanged glances, snickering a little. She took it and he pulled her up, leading her up the stairs.

"What could you possibly need help with… in your bedroom?" Renee asked, playing dumb.

"I have been waiting all day to get you alone," John said.

"I've only been here for a couple of hours," Renee giggled as John pulled her close to him.

"So?" John asked, carelessly. He leaned in, placing a soft kiss on her lips. She smiled before kissing him again.

"What're you doing?" Renee asked as John walked them towards his bed, sitting down and bringing her down with him. Renee sat on his lap, kissing him a couple more times. She had one leg on each side of John, straddling him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're shorter than me. I've got to level the playing field," John replied.

"I'm not that much shorter than you," Renee protested. John shook his head. "Six inches."

"Yeah, well maybe I like you in this position," John smirked. Renee laughed, rolling her eyes.

"So is this where you take all of your conquests?" Renee asked.

"Nope. Just the ones six inches shorter than me," John joked. Renee giggled before kissing pushing him down on the bed and kissing him. John kissed her back, deepening the kiss before rolling them over so that he was on top of her. They shared a series of short, sweet kisses before John really kissed her. She tangled her hands into his hair while his went to the hem of her shirt, inching it up slowly.

"Is this okay?" John asked.

"Uh huh," Renee nodded, still a little unsure. John leaned down, kissing her again but she pulled away. "Yes, and no."

"Oh," John said, taking his hands off of her and leaning on his forearms on the bed so he wouldn't crush her.

"It's just we're probably having dinner soon… and in the house with not only your parents but my parents too and the rest of our family, which, no offense, but yours is specifically nosy," Renee rambled. John laughed.

"I get it. You want to take things slow, right?" John asked. Renee nodded. "Okay. Fair enough."

"You sure you're okay with this?" Renee asked.

"I'm sure. It doesn't mean we can't kiss either which is why I brought you up here in the first place," John said, leaning down a place a soft, sweet kiss on her. Renee smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and bringing him down, closer to her. She kissed him again, the deepening the kiss this time. John knew she wanted to take things slow, but if she was going to kiss him like that, she was going to make it incredibly hard to do so. Just when things were getting good, John felt Renee pull away a little bit.

"I-, wait. I need to tell you something," Renee started.

"Uh uh. I'm sorry. We're past the confessional part of this program. We're onto the make out," John said, leaning down to kiss her. Renee retreated.

"John, stop," she begged.

"What is it?" he asked concerned.

Renee took a deep breath. This was not a comfortable conversation that she wanted to have but she knew it needed to happen just to clear things up. John deserved to know why she wanted to take things slow.

"I-, I'm not-, you know… I'm not a virgin, John," Renee finally admitted.

John was shocked at what he had just heard. Had she really just blurted that out?

"M-me neither," John stammered.

"Yeah, well, I know you aren't. I think everyone does… I just thought you needed to know that I'm not… The reason I want to take it slow is because I care about you. A lot. I don't want to wreck anything between us by something happening too fast," Renee explained.

"Right, yeah," John said, still taken off guard.

"You seem… frazzled," Renee said. John bit his lip, not sure what to say. "Wait, did you think-?"

"No!" John protested. Renee gave him a look and he sighed. "Yeah."

"I was in a serious relationship last year," Renee reminded.

"Yeah, and I don't like to think about that!" John replied.

"Sorry," Renee muttered.

"I get it. I do… but I can't say that I haven't thought about it before," John said a small smirk spreading across his lips.

"Me too but for now… slow," Renee said.

John nodded, "By the way, I care about you too."

Renee smiled, "Hey, why don't we go back downstairs and watch the game? I want to see how it all turns out and if you keep me in here any longer, you may tempt me to do something that I shouldn't do."

"I'd love to-," John started.

"Uh uh. Come on," Renee said, pushing him off of her and getting up. She ran a hand through her hair, attempting to smooth it down but instead just pulled it up in a ponytail. She looked back to see John lying on the bed, just watching. "Creepy, John."

"What?" John asked, innocently.

"Come on," she said, offering her hand out to him.

He sighed, "If I must." She rolled her eyes, laughing as John took her hand and the two of them went back downstairs to the living room.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Anna," Jude started.<p>

"Hello?" Anna asked.

"Hey, it's me… uh… Jude," Jude answered.

"Yeah, I know it's you, silly. Caller ID, remember?" Anna asked back, playfully.

Jude chuckled, "Yeah. I just wanted to check up on you. See how you were doing."

"I'm uh, I'm fine. I'm having Thanksgiving at my grandparents…" Anna answered, a little weirdly.

"That's- that's good," Jude said. Damn it, Winchester. What happened to the smooth talking Jude? He cleared his throat. "I just wanted to call and wish you a happy Thanksgiving… you know."

"Jude is everything okay? You're acting kinda weird?" Anna asked.

"No, yeah, everything's fine," Jude replied.

"Look, I should go, but uh, thanks Jude. Happy Thanksgiving to you too. It means a lot to me that you called," Anna replied. Anna didn't know how to react. Jude hadn't acted like this since Peru. Since when did he care so much about her? There was no way he still had feelings for her, right? After the way she left things and the fact that he just left? But then again, things were getting very familiar back at Drexel. Did Jude still have feelings for her? Anna knew she was always going to have a weak spot for him, especially since there really hadn't been any closure, but she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"Yeah, me too," Jude answered.

"I'll see you when we get back to school," she said.

"You too," Jude replied.

"Bye," she said, before hanging up.

"Smooth, Winchester," Jude muttered to himself.

"Hey, was that her?" Victoria asked, coming up the porch steps over to her brother who was sitting on the porch swing, his phone in his lap. She was out of breath from the basketball game so she sat down next to him.

"Yeah," Jude replied.

"How'd it go?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.

"It was… weird," Jude replied.

* * *

><p>Back inside the house, John and Cole were talking and setting the table. By now, Sam and Sawyer had come inside and were helping out as well. Molly and Dean were helping with the food along with their spouses and everything was almost ready.<p>

"Dude, I hope you're not pining away after Greer right now," John started.

"What? No!" Cole protested.

"Good, then cheer up. You are way too gloomy right now. Look, she's coming back. She said she would, okay?" John asked.

"Since when do you trust her?" Cole asked, narrowing his eyes at John.

"She doesn't seem so bad after all, you know? I kinda like her," John shrugged.

"Hey, John, will you go tell everyone outside that dinner is ready?" Dean asked.

"Sure, Dad," John said, leaving Cole and heading outside where Flynn, Victoria, and Jude all sat.

"Hey, Dad told me to tell you guys that dinner's ready," John said. "What're you guys doing out here?"

"Jude has girl problems," Victoria blurted out.

"Victoria!" Jude exclaimed.

"What? And you didn't tell me?" John asked, stepping outside.

"Didn't you just say dinner was ready? I'll… I'll tell you later. God, this family is so nosy," Jude teased.

"Takes one to know one," Flynn shot back. Jude chuckled rolling his eyes and ruffling up his brother's hair. "Hey!"

"You deserved it," Jude shrugged.

John smiled as he and his three siblings headed in the house together. As annoying and crazy as his family got, he loved more than anything. The three walked into the kitchen where there were two tables set up, even dispersed so that the whole family had a place to sit.

"John, right over here," John heard Renee say. He looked at her to see an empty seat between her and Cole. He smiled, heading over there.

"Victoria, Flynn, come on!" Haley urged, nodding to two empty seats.

"You coming, man?" Cole asked Jude.

All of the Winchesters and Walshes had sat down to Thanksgiving dinner. This was yet another one of those large traditional, family gatherings that would never been forgotten. Meredith and Dean looked around before exchanging glances. How had they come this far?

"Remember the beginning of it all?" Dean asked.

"How could I forget?" Meredith asked back. "Molly debuted those dressed, we said 'I love you'…"

"Yeah," Dean smiled.

"Unless you meant the beginning of this tradition…" Meredith trailed off.

**~Flashback – Meredith's POV~**

_I helped Andrea with setting the table and everything and then we all sat down to eat. Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays because all of the people that I loved gathered here at the Falcon and just enjoyed each others' company. I sat down next to Dean and watched as Cameron, bravely, sat down next to Dean. I gave him a small, encouraging smile as he scooted his chair in a little closer to the table._

_"Well, Thanksgiving… here we are again. It's good to see all the familiar faces. It looks like we have a lot give thanks for," Andrea started. It was a tradition that we all went around the table and shared something we were thankful for before we ate. "I guess I'll start. Well, I'm thankful, even though we've had many losses, to still have people to call family. I have no idea what I'd do without all of you." We all 'awed' or mumbled something sweet to Andrea._

_It was then my turn, "Okay, um, I thankful for yes, this group of people, and um… my wonderful and amazing husband."_

_"I'm thankful for having a brother as good as Sam, a group of people that actually do care, and uh, my very, very hot wife," Dean smirked. There were "ohhhh's" and "awes" from everyone. Everyone around the table went and it was very sweet and sentimental._

**~End Flashback~**

"Alright, everyone, now that we're all settled, I think we'll continue on with this Winchester/Walsh tradition by going around the table and saying what we're thankful for," Ethan announced. "Anyone like to go first?"

"I will," Iz volunteered.

"Alright then. Here we go again," Ethan said, looking over at his childhood best friend.

Meredith smiled wickedly, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

"No idea," Ethan said, winking mischievously. Iz began to talk about what she was thankful for and everyone listened attentively. Meredith couldn't help but think of something Andrea had once said.

"You know, someday you're going to be having some of these on your own."

And she had been right.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I apologize that I couldn't include everyone in this chapter and mainly focused on John/Renee and Jude, but this chapter would've been a bajillion pages long if I had. I hope I haven't been deficeint. More to come soon and more frequent updates. I've got a lot in store for you guys! Just you wait ;)


	27. Cannibals or Lifesize Animal Costumes?

"_Where am I?" Meredith asked, looking around the white room. A woman sat at a desk before her, her head down, scribbling notes down. It looked like some kind of therapy room._

_"What, you don't recognize me?" the woman asked, looking up from the desk. Meredith's jaw fell agape as she stared back at the woman._

_"Mom?"_

_"Of course, sweetie," the woman said, putting her pen down and standing up. She walked from behind the desk towards Meredith. Meredith chuckled a little to see a fountain pen on her mother's desk._

_"I love those pens," Meredith started._

_"Well, you didn't really think you got your good taste from your dad, did you?" she asked back. Meredith shook her head, laughing._

_"Mom, where are we? Am I… dead?" Meredith asked, anxiously._

_"What? No. No! Of course you're not. You're dreaming, sweetie. I came to warn you," she replied._

_"Warn me about what?" Meredith asked back._

_"The demons and croatoans. They're not exactly going to go away that easy… dig a little deeper, bumble bee. The answers are all there. To solve the problem you must start at the end," her mother advised._

_"Mom, what does that even mean?" Meredith asked._

All of a sudden, her mother had disappeared. Furniture began to disappear as well and she was left in a white room. "Mom? Mom?" No answer. "Mom!"

Meredith woke up, panting and panicked. She looked around, running her hand through her hair. It was five in the morning. She shook her head, taking a deep breath. She got up, before leaving the room to get a glass of water. She drank her water in the kitchen before refilling the glass and taking it back into their bedroom, setting it down on the night table.

"Cannibals or those life size animal costume suits?" She heard Dean mumble sleepily.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"What was the nightmare about this time? Cannibals or those creepy life size animal costume suits that you're always afraid of," Dean asked. He laughed. "You remember that time your dad took us to the mall when were… eight, maybe nine, and someone was dressed up in those suits as one of the CareBears and you freaked out?"

"Those things are scary!" Meredith exclaimed, hitting her husband for laughing at her. "They can see you but you can't see them. You don't know who's in there!"

"You're so weird," Dean chuckled.

"Am not," Meredith protested.

"Are too," Dean said. He propped himself up on his elbow, taking one good look at his wife. "Mer, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"Don't bullshit me," Dean said, calling her out.

She sighed, "I just had this weird dream about my mom. It's fine, really."

"What kind of weird dream?" Dean asked, sitting up.

"Nothing. Look, let's just go back to bed okay? I'm exhausted and I will not be responsible for your grouchiness in the morning when you say I woke you up at five in the morning," Meredith said, settling back into bed. Dean didn't say anything back because he could tell she didn't want to talk about it. He wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled up to him.

It was just a dream. There was no way her mom could be visiting her and warning her. Then again, with their lives, anything was possible. Could this have any relation to the other horrible dream she had had about losing her family? She pushed the thoughts out of her mind in attempts to fall back asleep but it was hopeless. She couldn't stop thinking about it. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of security in Dean's arms. For now, that would be the remedy for sleep.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning was upon the Winchesters and Jude was leaving early the next day. That morning, the family of six was spending the morning together having a typical Winchester breakfast. Afterwards, the boys and Dean had turned on a game and Jude was doing some laundry. Meredith had gone to get changed out of her pajamas and Victoria had gone upstairs to get ready for the day.<p>

"Hey, has anyone seen my other load?" Jude asked only to be answered with snickers from both John and Flynn. Jude walked into the living room with the laundry basket in his hand... "The load of laundry, you doofuses! It looks like someone did laundry last night. Oh, don't look at me like that. It's a fundamental college thing, John. You come home to do your laundry. You'll see when you get older."

"Oh, don't patronize me like that," John said, rolling his eyes.

"Ooh, little Johnny using big words," Jude teased.

"Shut up!" John exclaimed, glaring at his big brother. Jude continued to laugh as he dumped the laundry out onto the ironing board that was set up in the living room and began to sort it. His mom must've done a wash afterwards, leaving a mountain of clean laundry on top of the dryer. He threw his stuff into his laundry bag until he saw something that he wished he could un-see. He froze.

Jude pinched the article of clothing by the waistband, holding it up for the rest of the men in the living room to see before saying, "I don't want to know whether this is mom's or Victoria's but either way, it's disturbing."

John looked up once, "Victoria's."

"What? No. It's definitely you're mother's," Dean replied with a small smirk.

"That's just gross, Dad. Uh uh. Not cool," Flynn said, shaking his head. "Oh, and my bet is that it's Victoria's. That looks like that shit that comes out of those girl, teen underwear stores… what's it called? Aerie?" It was black with a lacy waistband and the rest of it was solid cotton.

"Oh yeah!" John exclaimed.

"What's mine?" Victoria asked, coming into the living room. "Ew, Jude! What're you doing with my underwear?" Victoria snatched her underwear from Jude's hand crinkling it into a ball in her fist. She went over to the pile of sorted laundry, picking hers up. "Hey, thanks for sorting this. You're the best."

"You're welcome," Jude grumbled. Victoria stood up on her tip toes and kissed her brother on the cheek before heading back upstairs with her laundry.

"That's- that's hers?" Dean stammered, in shock.

"Yeah, Dad. She's not so much a little girl anymore, huh?" Jude asked. "Scares the shit out of me too."

"Wh-, since when?" Dean asked, trying to form coherent sentences.

"Baby, you look like you just saw a ghost," Meredith said, coming into the room.

"Uh, can we talk? Alone?" Dean asked, rising up from his seat on the couch and heading over towards Meredith.

"Yeah… everything okay?" Meredith asked, shooting him a funny look.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine, babe. Why wouldn't it be?" Dean asked, trying to cover it up.

"Because you're being really weird right now," Meredith answered, straightly.

John laughed, "Dad found out that Victoria owns sexy underwear."

Meredith sighed, "Come here, you." She took Dean's hand and led him into their room.

"I mean… what?" Dean asked.

"Relax, Dean. I started buying sexy underwear when I was her age. It's not… it's just a girl thing. Once you get to a certain age, buying underwear is fun. You have nothing to worry about," Meredith explained.

"Yeah but do you think, you know, anyone's… seeing it?" Dean asked, growing even paler at the thought.

"No!" Meredith protested.

"She has a boyfriend," Dean offered up.

"Yeah, and they're fourteen and just started dating," Meredith pointed out.

Dean sighed, "Look, Mer, it's hard for me not to overreact. She's… our daughter. I can't stand the idea of a guy even laying a hand on her. I know what guys are like. I was one of those guys! You and I had sex early… what if she does?"

"Dean, they're not even at that point yet," Meredith reasoned.

"But they could get there. What if-," Dean started.

"Dean, you're going to drive yourself crazy," Meredith sighed.

"I feel like I should say something to her. You know… like we did with John. Let her know if it's okay if she has any questions… safe sex talk… in her case, please wait till you're forty talk," Dean said.

"No," Meredith said back.

"Why not?" Dean asked.

"Sit," Meredith ordered.

Dean sat down before asking again, "Why not?"

"Because you're her dad, Dean. It's hard enough to talk to your mom about these kinds of things but her overprotective dad? I know you, Dean. You'll freak out and she'll get mad at you because she'll feel like you're trying to limit her and/or are jumping to assumptions, which you are. Then she'll play the double standard card and you won't even know what happened. You'll get even more overprotective and the two of you will be cranky around each other for the next few days. Look, Dean. It was hard enough for her to tell you she was dating him. She knows how you feel about guys that date her. I know you want to say something to her, but for all of our sake's, would you let me do it?" Meredith asked back.

He sighed, "Why can't I-?"

"Because I've been scarred for life after your dad's safe sex talk," Meredith replied.

"Touché," Dean sighed, admitting defeat.

"There is nothing you need to get worked up over, okay? Trust me," Meredith said, climbing onto the bed and behind Dean before beginning to massage his shoulders.

"Mm, babe that feels good," Dean smirked.

"I thought I'd relax you after you got all worked up over the underwear thing," Meredith replied, kissing him on the cheek once.

"My baby thinks of everything," Dean said.

"That she does," Meredith answered.

"Hey, you okay?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Meredith shrugged.

"You just seem a little… distant today," Dean said. "I mean earlier at breakfast today you were kind of quiet. I couldn't help noticing that you seem a little off. You know, in the best way possible of course." Meredith laughed at Dean's attempt to soften the edge on what he was saying.

"I'm fine. It was just a really weird dream. That's all," Meredith said.

"Huh," Dean sounded, unconvinced.

* * *

><p>The doorbell rang and Cole went to get it. "Just a minute," he called as he walked down the hallway. Who the hell was here so early in the-. A wide grin spread across his face as he saw Greer standing in the doorway.<p>

"What're you doing here?" he asked, speechless.

"And they sent you for the welcome wagon? They should really work on that," Greer said.

"Oh my God," Cole smiled, pulling her into his arms immediately.

"It's good to see you too," she smiled back. Greer pulled away to take one good look at him. God she had missed him.

"You couldn't have called?" Cole asked, still in shock.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Greer shrugged.

"Well, it's a good one. How was everything with your mom? Was it weird? Or good? How are you?" Cole asked, eager to reunite with his… well, he wasn't sure what they were anymore.

"Slow down, Curious. I'll tell you all about it later but right now, God, it's so good to see you," she sighed, happily.

"Come in," Cole said. Greer stepped into the house and he closed the door behind her. They ended up settling down in the living room. There was an awkward silence between the two of them as they stood there. Greer had put her stuff down on the floor.

"So that was some kiss," Greer started, breaking the silence.

"Wha-? I mean, which one?" Cole stammered. Well, she was straight to the point.

"Both," Greer answered.

"Greer-," Cole started.

"I've missed you," Greer said, before closing the gap between them, kissing him for the first time in a while. Cole smiled into the kiss before kissing her back. They shared the kiss until Cole finally pulled away.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"Thank you… I miss you… I don't know," Greer shrugged and for once in all of his time knowing her, he saw her blush. "Come on. Do you want to hear all about the trip or what?"

"Yeah," Cole replied. "So what was it like, seeing your mom? I still don't know how you found her."

"A hunter has her secrets," Greer replied. She smiled. "After all this time, it was surprisingly great…"

**~Flashback~**

_There was a knock on the door and Greer waited impatiently on the porch. Would she remember her? What if she didn't want her to be there? Maybe this was a bad idea…_

_"Can I help you?" the woman asked, giving Greer a good look._

_"Are you Maggie Lawson?" Greer asked, nervously._

_"Yes," the woman replied._

_"I'm your daughter," Greer said. The woman just stared back at her, her jaw dropped. "It's me, Mom. It's Greer. I know that this is sudden and I probably should've called but I tracked you down and there are a lot of things I need to explain first but-."_

_"Oh my God," the woman gasped. She shook her head, tears in her eyes. "All this time I've been wanting to reach out to you but… but your father made me promise-."_

_"Dad's dead," Greer said, cutting her mom off. An overwhelmed looked washed over her mother's face before she spoke again._

_"Come inside, sweetie. It's so good to see you," she smiled, pulling her daughter into her arms._

_"You too, Mom," Greer replied, smiling a little back._

**~End Flashback~**

"You just showed up out of the blue like that? Damn. That takes guts," Cole said, amazed.

"Yeah. But it was great. You know I have a little step sister and brother? It's so weird. She- she has a whole other life over there. She started a whole other life when she left us…" Greer trailed off.

"You okay?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I'm not going to interrupt. You were probably doing something before I showed up," Greer replied, changing the subject quickly.

"No, you're fine. I was about to make some breakfast actually. Come join me? You've got to be hungry," Cole said.

"Always," Greer replied. Cole chuckled.

"Come on."

* * *

><p>"Have you talked to her yet?" Dean asked eagerly.<p>

"No," Meredith replied.

"What?" Dean exclaimed.

"Babe, I'll talk to her when she gets back from the art museum," Meredith said. "Relax."

"W-with Tyler?" Dean stammered.

"Yes," Meredith answered shortly. While she loved her husband, he was going to drive her crazy with all of this nonsense. She could understand where Dean was coming from but he needed to relax. It was scary for Meredith too that her daughter was growing up, but they had to let her some time. "They're going to see a short film."

"So… isn't short film code for movie?" Dean asked back.

"So?" Meredith asked.

"So? So? So I know what guys are thinking in movie theatres. It's a dark room… no one's paying attention. Once you've already moved past the slowly, stealthily put your arm around her step, the possibilities are endless," Dean explained, getting all worked up over it.

Meredith sighed, "They've already kissed, Dean."

"W-, well, wh-, I know that!" he declared, crossing his arms over his chest. She raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head.

"Dean, baby, relax," Meredith said, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. "You are stressing way too much over this. Tyler is a good guy. You and I have both seen him around her and he treats her very well. He's a gentlemen. Think of Sammy! Tyler is like Sam. Do you think Sam would ever bust a move like that in a movie theatre? I don't think so."

Dean sighed, "That puts me at ease a little bit."

"Contrary to popular belief, not every high school buy out there is as sex driven as you were," Meredith teased. A smile broke across Dean's face. "Ah, a smile! I haven't gotten one of those out of you ever since the whole underwear fiasco this morning."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed.

"I can't complain. I got lots and lots of sex out of it," Meredith said, lowering her voice.

"Lots and lots of really great sex," Dean reminded.

"Yes… that… and a modest husband," Meredith teased.

Dean smiled, "I love you, baby."

"I love you too. Promise me that you'll try to relax a little more? I know that it's hard because she's your daughter but trust me on this one, okay?" Meredith asked.

"If I must," Dean sighed, dramatically. Meredith laughed a little.

"Hey, I'm going out," Meredith said.

"Where?" Dean asked back.

"Just for a walk in the park," Meredith answered, innocently.

Dean frowned, "Don't tell me you're going to have secret meetings with Nate again."

"No!" Meredith exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything. If uh, you need any help relaxing," Dean started, strolling towards her and putting his hands on her hips. "I've got you covered, Mer." Dean bit his lip, looking her up and down. Meredith just looked at him with a look that said: Dean, are you serious, right now?

"I'll let you know," she said, pushing his hands off of her hips.

"Be safe, okay?" Dean asked. At times like these, he hated to think about her going off on her own.

"Isn't that what you should be telling your daughter?" Meredith teased.

He frowned, "Now, that's just mean."

"I'm kidding!" she giggled, kissing him once. "I won't be gone for long. I promise."

* * *

><p>"Wacha doin'?" Cole asked, as he saw Greer sitting at the desk in his room. He had just come back from taking a shower. Cole was a morning showerer. She looked up from her laptop at him, acknowledging him with a small smile before returning her attention to the laptop.<p>

"I'm looking for an apartment, actually. Just something I can rent out until the school year's over. You know my Mom asked me to come spend the summer with her. She said we'd keep in contact and maybe next year I'd come live with her," Greer replied.

"Oh wow. This must've been some trip," Cole said.

Greer nodded, "But I'm here now."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? This girl was the queen of mixed signals.

"Is everything alright? I've got the guest room set up for you and everything, Greer," Sawyer said, standing in the doorway of Cole's room.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay here, Mrs. Winchester. I promise I'll be out of your hair in no time," Greer said.

"Oh don't worry. You can stay for however long you need to," Sawyer answered.

"Thanks," Greer said back. Sawyer smiled politely before leaving the room.

"So an apartment, huh?" Cole asked.

"Yeah. Then we can stop using the roof as our secret getaway. Except in this case, the apartment will be not so secret… hah," Greer chuckled.

"For what?" Cole asked.

"I don't know. Stuff like this," Greer said, before leaning in and kissing Cole. Cole pulled away before kissing her again. This time, he pulled her in for a real kiss. She pulled away, suddenly, making Cole nervous.

"Is everything-," Cole started.

"The door," Greer said.

"Oh, right!" Cole said, blushing. He went to close the door but then paused. "Greer, what're we doing?"

"Kissing," she replied, simply.

"No, but I mean… we keep doing it. So… what are we doing in a sense of… you know, us?" Cole asked.

Greer just stared at him before saying, "What do you want us to be doing?"

"Look, I like you. And I think I've made that pretty obvious," Cole started. "I mean, are we together or just friends?"

"I'll be honest. I don't want to be just friends with you," Greer admitted.

"I don't either," Cole agreed, his heart fluttering. Was this it? Were they finally, after all this time, going to get together?

"Then I guess that means we're together," Greer winked.

Cole was speechless. He had been thinking about this happening for quite some time now and here it was, "I guess so."

"Now come here, boyfriend because I've been dying to kiss you again after the first time we did in the library. And after we said goodbye? Boy, you really know how to hook a girl," Greer said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It's the Winchester curse," Cole replied.

"Apparently so," Greer smiled, leaning in to kiss Cole. He smiled back. Had that really just happened?

* * *

><p>"I don't know what to do anymore, Mom… it's just… we were like the Brady bunch… only with knives and exorcisms but the kids never really hunted – except for Jude, but now they're all getting into it," Meredith said, as she sat, Indian style on the ground. She stared at her mom's gravestone. "It's hard to let your kids do that stuff. Do I wish we never had to teach them how to hunt? Of course. But I guess when teaching them at the center, I never truly realized what it would be like to let them do it."<p>

"Thought I could find you here," Meredith heard a voice say. She turned around to see her husband walking towards her in the cemetery. "You weren't back yet and I was beginning to worry."

"What that demons got me?" Meredith asked back, amused.

"No, that you were having a secret tryst with Nate," Dean replied in a 'well-duh' tone. Meredith laughed.

"Nope. No secret trysts," she replied.

"I also thought you'd be cold so I brought a blanket and a thermos of hot chocolate," Dean said, sitting down next to Meredith and situating himself next to her.

"Once upon a time, I wanted to make you hot chocolate and you called me a girl scout," Meredith shot back, playfully.

"So? Sue me," Dean scoffed, jokingly. Meredith laughed, taking a sip of the hot chocolate.

"So how did you find me?" Meredith asked, curiously.

"Well, after I checked the park and you weren't there, I remembered you being all weird today, and how you mentioned that you had a dream about your mom. Let's say that was enough to tell me where you were," Dean answered.

"Ah," Meredith said.

"I thought I told you not to stay out too late," Dean said, throwing the blanket over the both of their laps.

"You don't own me," Meredith said back, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Only in bed," Dean smirked, kissing the top of Meredith's head as he sat down next to her.

"Dean! Not in front of my mother," Meredith hissed, teasingly.

"Sorry. Hi, MIL. Good to see you too," Dean said. "Don't you worry at all. Your daughter's beautiful and I love her very much. No monkey business, I promise."

"MIL?" Meredith asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Mother-in-law. Duh," Dean replied.

Meredith chuckled, "Alright, alright." She leaned her head on Dean's shoulder. Dean sat there, holding her for a while before finally speaking up.

"Meredith, what was so bad about this dream?" Dean asked.

She sighed, "I uh… she came to me in this dream and told me she had a warning. She said that this whole demon/croatoan army is a lot more serious than we thought."

"Oh," Dean said.

"Look, I'm scared, Dean. What if we lose it all?" she asked.

"We won't, Mer," Dean said.

"How can you be sure of that?"

"I can't. But if I have any say in it, I'll make sure that we don't," Dean replied. Meredith nodded and prayed that he was right.


	28. The Gilmore Girls

Author's Note: I figured I'd spend some time on the younger kids in the Winchester family . The last few chapters have been a lot of John/Renee, Jude, and Cole/Greer. Happy reading!

Also, I have a ton of new stories I'm working to publish. Is there any way I could do a poll on here? If you've ever done a poll, advisement would be nice :). I don't know which one to start first! Also, updates should be more frequent soon. I didn't intend this chapter to be so long but I couldn't wait any longer to publish some of the stuff I've been planning next.

Last thing, I love the Gilmore Girls so the jokes are not meant to be malicious towards that show.

* * *

><p>Monday morning came and it was back to school. Flynn was in a hurry to get to his first period class to see Paige. Ever since they got back, Paige had been weirdly distant and he wanted to at least talk to her about it. He had only seen her briefly since she got back, even though they were next door neighbors. Tyler and Victoria had gone out Saturday. What was with her?<p>

"Hey, you," Flynn heard a girl's voice say as he felt two hands on his shoulders and someone jump up.

"Would you look at that? Just like how I like to start out my morning: with a hot blonde," Flynn joked.

"Aw, me too," the girl replied, mocking his fakely sweet tone.

"I'm not blonde," Flynn started.

"Or hot," the girl added.

"Ouch," Flynn said.

"I'm kidding. So, Flynn Winchester, long time no see," she said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Flynn said. "I've been busy… you know with football and stuff."

"Ever since you got a girlfriend and gotten all popular, you've been too busy to talk to the little people?" the girl teased.

"What? No!" Flynn exclaimed.

"I'm just kidding," the girl replied. They walked together.

"So, Rose, how's it been?" Flynn asked.

"Oh, I don't know. High school's been pretty tough. I lost one of my friends to the in crowd, some of my classes are kicking my ass, and the band just lost our bass guitarist," Rose replied.

"The band lost your bass guitarist?" Flynn asked. "I'm just kidding. Sorry about the rest of the stuff too."  
>Rose and Flynn were the kind of friends that went in cycles. Sometimes they were really close and then other times, they'd drift apart. But when they were close, they were really close.<p>

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. We have a gig this Friday and I know you play bass-," she started.

"I don't know, Rose… this Friday?" Flynn asked, a hint of reluctance in his voice.

"I wasn't going to ask you!" she replied.

"Really?" Flynn asked. "Because it sounded like you were going to."

"You're right. I was going to. So will you do it? Pretty please? It'll just be temporary and the bass lines are pretty simple. We're doing a couple of covers as well but they're all songs that I know you know. We're in desperate need," Rose pleaded.

"I-…" Flynn trailed off as they reached his classroom. He looked in to see Paige talking to some guy on the football team. Was she… flirting? "When do you guys practice?"

"Every day after school this week but just because we have a gig. It won't take long and besides, you love playing music. Remember those days when you and I hung out after school every day for like two months straight in that record store? Oh my God, we loved that place! Look, we'll have so much fun at practice, that you'll totally lose track of time. And the guys like you so you don't even have to worry about that. It's a win-win situation. You have fun, and we get to keep our gig," Rose persuaded.

"Oh God, I forgot about that," Flynn replied, sarcastically. He sighed. "Yeah, okay. I'll do it."

"Thank you! You're the best. You won't regret this. I promise," Rose said, walking down the hall towards her own class.

"You're welcome," Flynn called back. He chuckled a little before heading into his own classroom. "Paige."

Paige turned around in her seat as soon as she saw Flynn, "Oh, Flynn. Hi, what're you doing?"

"I'm in this class," he said, shooting her a strange look.

"Right," she said back. She turned away from the guy she had been talking to and watched as Flynn sat down in the desk next to her. "Sorry, I was so busy this weekend, studying, and whatnot."

"Yeah, I get it," Flynn shrugged, beginning to take out his notebook and pens.

"Right," Paige muttered. He was being strangely okay with this distant behavior. That wasn't a good sign for her.

* * *

><p>During lunch, Flynn tried to separate himself from his family. He sat towards the end of the table, not paying much attention to them. He was having an off day and Paige's offness wasn't helping at all. He looked down the table. John and Renee and Tyler and Victoria were being all coupley. He had no idea where Cole and Greer were and was glad because he knew if they were here, they'd be all coupley as well. Haley was at a club meeting so he just sat there.<p>

"Hey," Owen said, sitting down next to Flynn, pulling Flynn out of his thoughts.

"Hey," Flynn said back, dryly.

"Look, dude, I know guys don't really do this, but I figured as your friend, I should say something to you," Owen started.

"Okay…" Flynn said.

"So I was talking to Haley and she told me that she and some of her friends saw Paige talking to Ian. And it wasn't just like, talking, you know? Haley said they were really flirtatious. So when she told me about it, I almost didn't believe it. Team code, you know? But then I saw it for myself. You know they have a lot of classes together? I mean, Ian sucks because that's your girl but Paige? I don't know, dude… She seemed pretty into it too. " Owen confessed.

"So?" Flynn asked back, defensively.

"So, she's your girlfriend, man. What's going on?" Owen asked back. Flynn just stared at Owen. "What?"

"No, nothing. I'm just trying to figure out which Gilmore girl you are," Flynn replied in a serious tone.

"Come on, man! I'm just trying to help you out," Owen exclaimed.

Flynn sighed, "I know, I know. Thanks for telling me. Sorry. I saw it too this morning. I know."

"Look, I'm sorry, man," Owen started.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Flynn replied, putting on a fake smile. That would explain her distance. Was she into Ian or something? Either way, he was sick of it and wanted explanations. "Hey, listen, I'm going to go to the dark room. If she asks, I'm taking a quiz."

"Okay," Owen said.

"Thanks," Flynn said back, before collecting his stuff and heading to the school dark room to work on some his photographs. It was the only place he could think straight.

Victoria looked up from her conversation with Tyler and saw that her brother was leaving the table. He looked kinda bummed and like he had had a rough day. She was about to get up when Tyler said something else.

"What're you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Not much. Why?" Victoria asked back, returning her focusing back to Tyler.

"There's another film showing at the art museum about the Congo right after school. Do you want to come with me?" Tyler asked.

"Of course, yeah," Victoria replied.

"Cool. You know, I don't think I've ever seen you go a day without wearing this bracelet?" he started, changing the subject.

Victoria nodded slowly, "Oh yeah. My dad gave it to me for my seventh birthday… and you know it was my grandmother's. I guess I got into the habit of wearing it all the time when it finally fit and I haven't really thought about it till… now, actually."

**~Flashback~**

_"Did you have fun today, kiddo?" Dean asked, swooping his daughter up into his arms and holding her in his arms. She smiled at her father as he carried her to the living room._

_"Yeah. Thank you, Daddy!" she beamed. "It was so much fun with all our first grade class there and even all our family came too."_

_"Yeah, well you and Flynn turned seven this year. You're off to the second grade," Dean said, saying 'second grade' as if it were some mystical forest of mystery. Victoria laughed before Dean put her down on the couch. He took a seat next to her with a small box wrapped nicely with ribbon on it in his hand._

_"What's that?" Victoria asked._

_"Let's just say, you're old man has one last present for you," Dean replied._

_"A pony?" Victoria asked, sarcastically excited._

_Dean laughed, "You are so my kid – using sarcasm like that. And at age seven! Nah, it's way better than a pony." He handed her the box and she undid the ribbon, quickly removing the top of the box. Her eyes widened as she saw the charm bracelet in the box. She took it out, holding it up and examining each little symbol on the charms. "It used to be my mother's; your grandmother that passed away when I was really young."_

_"Hey, so did Mom's," Victoria said. She tilted her head to the side. "Why is that? Why did you and Mommy's moms die so early in your lives. Are you guys going to?"_

_"What? No, baby girl. Your mommy and I aren't going anywhere anytime soon. See, you know that your mom and I used to fight bad guys?" Dean asked._

_"The monsters?" Victoria asked, curiously._

_"Yes, those," Dean replied, reluctantly. He had wanted to avoid that word, especially not to scare her, but she had brought it up. Hell, this kid was a lot braver than any other seven year old he'd ever seen. When he and Meredith finally told the twins about monsters, instead of being afraid of the theoretical monster in her closet that every child feared, Victoria drew up an escape and fight plan one day. Dean chuckled at the memory but then remembered he had things to explain to his daughter._

_"Well, our moms used to fight bad guys like that. It was really dangerous and they ended up dying because of that," Dean started._

_"Well that's sad! I don't like it," Victoria protested._

_"I know, baby girl. Me either. That's why I wanted to give you this bracelet. It was my mom's and I think she would've wanted you to have it. Not only are you strong like her, but the charms you see here, they can protect you against certain… bad guys. I don't want anything happening to you, okay?"_

_"Daddy, you say I'm strong like Mommy too. How can I be strong like my mommy and strong like yours?" Victoria asked._

_"Both of them were strong," Dean answered simply._

_"Is it because that one time where Mom beat up the demon that Sam was friends with? Jude wrote that in the book he made me and Flynn before we were born," Victoria asked._

_Dean chuckled, "Yes and no. Your mom was pretty cool at that moment, huh?"_

_"Totally. Demons are stupid," Victoria scoffed._

_"So my kid," Dean said, letting out a full laugh._

**~End Flashback~**

"Victoria?" Tyler asked.

"Huh? What?" Victoria asked, snapping out of her memory.

"You okay? You were gone for a second there," Tyler replied.

"Yeah, fine. Just thinking about something. That's all," Victoria replied.

"What I was saying is that bracelet is… quite a charm bracelet. I mean, most girls have rainbows, and their initials on bracelets but yours… all of these religious symbols. It was your grandmothers, right?" Tyler asked, toying with the charms on Victoria's bracelet.

"Yeah, it was something they did back in the 70s. Don't worry about it," Victoria said, moving her wrist away from Tyler. He shot her a funny look.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, fine," she shrugged. She knew she was being touchy but there was no way she could explain that one. She kept hearing her parents' words echo in her head about being careful around the Gallaghers; to never let them know about hunting. But he had the right to know, right? She knew it wasn't her place to tell them, she just didn't want to slip up and the only way to do that, was to push him away at moments like this. "So the film this afternoon? I should probably go ask my mom but I think she'll say yes. I'll see you later, okay?" Victoria got up from the table, slinging her book bag over her shoulder as she stood up.

"Okay," Tyler replied, still a little confused. Why were girls snappy one minute and then fine the next? That was a question that Tyler would never really answer.

* * *

><p>Victoria dropped her bag on her bedroom floor, kicking off her shoes and collapsing on her bed, on her back. She was exhausted and really didn't want to do any homework but knew she had to get started on it at some point tonight. The film at the art museum with Tyler was great.<p>

"Hey, you here already?" Victoria heard Flynn call from his room.

"Yeah," Victoria answered, sitting up. In minutes, Flynn was walking through the door to the bathroom from their shared Jack and Jill bathroom.

"Can you uh…" Flynn started, squinting and scratching the back of his head. "Talk?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Victoria asked, crossing her legs Indian style, sitting on her bed.

"There's something going on with Paige. I don't what it is, but even when she left for break, she's been really weird and distant, you know? And then today she's been flirting with Ian… I don't know. Is it worth even talking to her about it? I don't know what to do, Vi," Flynn exclaimed with a sigh. He hated talking about his feelings but she was his twin sister.

"I knew something was up!" Victoria exclaimed. "Come sit." Flynn sat down next to Victoria on the edge of her bed. "Sorry… Um, I think it's definitely worth talking to her, but if I were you, I'd break up with her. I mean, relationships worth keeping don't involve people that stop talking to you and start flirting with someone else with no explanation."

Flynn groaned, "Ugh, why does talking out my feelings always make me feel like a friggin' Gilmore girl?"

Victoria laughed, "You're totally Rory."

"What? No, I'm not!" Flynn protested.

Victoria rolled her eyes, "Shut up. Back to the matter at hand. You need to get an explanation. No offense, but I have a feeling it's not a good one."

"But what if her explanation is… you know… something like her parents are getting divorced and she's going through a rough time?" Flynn asked.

Victoria shot a look at her brother, "First, you and I are over there quite enough to know that the Gallaghers are happy together and second, whatever rough time she's going through, it doesn't give her an excuse to treat you like that!"

"You're right," Flynn sighed. "So I should talk to her?"

"Yeah," Victoria nodded. "And if you want me to kick her ass to-."

"No, that won't be necessary," Flynn chuckled.

"Okay. I am your older sister. I've gotta look out for you, you know?" Victoria asked back.

Flynn scoffed jokingly, "By three minutes! Yeah, that's right. I kicked your ass right out of there."

"Or I just beat you to it," Victoria replied. The twins exchanged laughter before put a hand on her brother's knee and got up. "I'm going to go get a glass of water. You want something?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Flynn replied.

"Alright," Victoria said, beginning to leave. "Just talk to her, Flynn. You'll know what to do."

"Thanks," Flynn mumbled before getting up and leaving himself.

Victoria headed downstairs and filled up a glass with some water. She was about to head back upstairs when her dad came in. He seemed almost angry.

"Hey, Dad," Victoria said.

"Where were you this afternoon?" he demanded.

"I went to a film at the art museum with Tyler. Why?" Victoria asked back, shooting her a dad a funny glance.

"On a school night?" Dean exclaimed.

"Mom said I could go. Besides, it didn't last long. I'm home now, aren't I?" Victoria asked back.

"What about your homework? Shouldn't be doing that?" Dean challenged.

"I was just going to! Jesus, what's your problem, Dad?" Victoria asked back, offensively.

"Watch your language, young lady," Dean warned.

"Oh please. You say far worse," Victoria snapped.

"You know what? I don't care what your mother said. I don't want you to go out on a school night's like this anymore. Your mother and I will be talking about this soon. I don't know what she was thinking," Dean started.

Victoria's glared at her father, "It's just because it's me, isn't it?"

"What?" Dean asked back.

"You let John and Jude go out on school nights. John's practically out every night and Flynn even goes out sometimes on school nights but I can't? God, this is such a double standard!" Victoria exclaimed, storming out of the kitchen, leaving Dean speechless. Dean could hear Victoria's footsteps as she marched up to her room and slammed the door.

"No door slamming in this house!" Dean yelled.

A few minutes later, Meredith came into the kitchen to find Dean just standing there, speechless.

"Do I even want to know what that was about?" Meredith asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I can't believe you let her go out on a school night! She should be doing other things like homework or… hell, anything else but seeing that boy. She's with him all the time, Meredith! I see them at school too. You'd think there'd she'd understand that there's a healthy amount of separation in a relationship but-," Dean exclaimed.

"Dean!" Meredith said, cutting him off.

"What?" Dean whined.

Meredith sighed, "You are getting way too worked up about this. You and I were the same way when we-."

"Exactly and when we were dating, you and I-," Dean started.

"Is that what this is about? Dean, she's fourteen. She's not having sex any time soon," Meredith hissed.

"Mer," Dean groaned.

"Look, I'll go talk to her. You… you need to calm down. I know she's growing up and that scares the hell out of you, but she's got to at some point," Meredith said.

"Fine," Dean sighed.

"Be good," Meredith warned.

"What, or you'll punish me?" Dean smirked.

Meredith rolled her eyes, "Not appropriate right now, honey."

"I love you," Dean called after her.

"Uh huh," Meredith sounded, as she walked away from the kitchen and up the stairs towards Victoria's room. She knew why Dean was getting so worked up. Victoria was their daughter; her dad's little girl. The fact that Victoria had a boyfriend now was scaring Dean but he had to learn to let go. He couldn't control her life like he wanted to. This was Meredith's attempt to fix things. She knocked lightly on the door to her daughter's bedroom.

"Go away," Victoria said.

"Can I come in?" Meredith asked.

"Mom?" Victoria asked back.

"Yeah," Meredith answered.

Victoria paused before replying, "Yeah, I guess so." Meredith opened the door, gently closing it behind her.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"I guess," Victoria shrugged, her stare remaining on the floor. Meredith went over and sat on the bed next to her daughter.

"I heard your dad giving you a hard time," Meredith started.

"Yeah. It's ridiculous. He acts like Tyler and I are sneaking around and that Tyler's some bad boy. He's not at all like that. If Dad would just give him a chance that maybe he'd see that. I just don't get why Dad's so stubborn!" Victoria exclaimed.

Meredith sighed, "Yeah, your dad's a pain in the ass like that. He loves you. That's why. Look, he worries a lot and you're his little girl-."

"But I'm not!" Victoria protested.

"I know, and deep down inside, he knows that too. That's why he's freaking out like this. It scares him that you're growing up so fast. I mean, kids these days… they stop being kids pretty early on. Your father was forced to grow up way too fast, you know," Meredith explained.

"I know, but I mean, it's not like Tyler and I are going to have sex or anything. We're-, we're not even there yet. We're… so far from there," Victoria said.

Meredith sighed with relief, "Oh thank God. But I think you understand where he's coming from and I know you two have been butting heads lately, but he worries for a good reason. He's afraid some high school boy that only thinks with his downstairs brain is going to take advantage of you. I know Tyler's different, but… Dean was one of them. He still thinks like one of them." That made Victoria laugh.

"Yeah, he really is," Victoria chucked in agreement.

"Just talk to him. I know it's hard for you not to get defensive in those situations but… it's genetic," Meredith chuckled. "Just tell him to stop smothering you. He- he gets it… he does. And in time, he'll learn how to stop doing it."

"You think?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah, I do," Meredith replied. "Alright. I'm going to go start on dinner. Let me know when you're ready to talk to your dad."

"Okay," Victoria replied as Meredith got up to leave. "Hey, Mom?"

"Yeah?" she asked back.

"Was Dad your first?" Victoria asked.

Meredith nodded, "Yeah, he was. We were in love. Which is exactly why you should wait!"

"Oh, Mom. Not the time and place for the talk. Seriously. I think can only have one "talk" at a time," Victoria replied, laughing nervously.

"You know your dad's dad gave me the talk?" Meredith asked.

"Seriously?" Victoria exclaimed.

Meredith nodded, "Uh huh. It was mortifying."

"I bet," Victoria replied. "So awkward."

"It was," Meredith replied. Meredith opened the door to leave and came face to face with her husband.

"Honey, she can only take one talk in one sitting," Meredith teased.

"I just have a couple of things to say," Dean pleaded. "I promise."

Victoria sighed, "Fine."

"I'll leave you two alone," Meredith said, before slipping out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Dean finally said.

"Really?" Victoria asked.

"Really. Your mom is right. The fact that you're growing so quickly scares the hell out of me but I know I need to… hand over some control. And you're right about the double standard thing too. It's just, John and Jude… I don't worry about their hearts getting broken or being taken advantage like I do with you. You know me. I used to be one of them… so I worry," Dean explained.

"That's kind of what you do, Dad," Victoria teased.

"Hey!" Dean said, nudging his daughter playfully. "Well, you're right. I do. I… I'm sorry. I'm going to try to work on it, okay? But I never said I won't freak out when you come home from a date and the car's been in the driveway for more than five minutes."

"Oh, it's okay, Dad. I'll just tell him to park a couple of blocks down the street," Victoria said. Dean's face fell and Victoria laughed. "I'm kidding, Dad! Look, I know you worry and I can't say that it doesn't piss me off when it affects me, but I know it's because you love me."

"I do," Dean replied. "Speaking of the talk though-."

Victoria shook her head, "Uh uh. Save it for another time, Dad. I told you, only one talk per sitting and uh, I already violated that rule and am not willing to break it even more."

"Another time?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, far, far, far into the future," Victoria replied.

"Alright," Dean sighed.

* * *

><p>"Hey," Flynn said, as soon as Paige came out of her house.<p>

"Hey," Paige replied.

"Can we talk?" Flynn asked.

"I kissed someone," Paige admitted.

Although he probably should've seen it coming, it still stung the same, "Ian?"

"No. Someone back in LA. We used to date and I saw him on break and… I don't know. Look, Flynn. I'm sorry. We just jumped into things so quickly that I didn't really get to situate myself. I was Flynn's girlfriend before I was even 'the new girl'," Paige started.

"Are you saying we should break up?" Flynn asked.

"Yeah," Paige nodded, reluctantly. "I am so sorry. If I knew this would happen, I probably wouldn't have jumped into things with you. You're great and-."

"Paige, I don't, I don't need the whole 'it's not you it's me' speech. I'll be fine. I uh, I guess I was just wondering why you were distant when you got back but I guess I have my answer," Flynn answered.

Paige nodded, "Yeah… I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too," Flynn replied. He shot her something that was barely a smile before heading back to his house. He jogged upstairs and saw Victoria leaving her room.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked, immediately sensing that her brother was upset.

"Yeah, fine," Flynn shrugged.

Victoria took one good look at him and knew what had happened, "Hey, I just bought a really great CD. I think you'd like it a lot." She knew it would be the perfect remedy for breakups and in general, it was just a great album.

"Sounds good, Vi. Thanks… you know… for everything," Flynn said, somberly.

"You're my twin brother. That's what I'm here for," Victoria shrugged.


	29. The Game

"Nice locker," Flynn remarked, seeing the school spirit memorabilia on John's locker.

"Yeah…" John trailed off.

"So why was Mom so happy this morning?" Flynn asked, as he put his stuff up into his locker. Haley and Victoria were already walking down the hall, gossiping or whatever girls did these days. John leaned up against his locker, looking over at his younger brother.

"Jude's coming home today and he's bring his girlfriend. Dad's leaving school early to go pick Jude up at the airport, so you know Mom will freak out when she meets this girl. I almost feel bad for her," John chuckled.

"Yeah. I really hope we like her. If not, this is going to be one awkward Winter break seeing as she's staying with us. I wonder what's going to happen when we all go away. The house really hasn't been quiet ever since Jude was born. That's going to be… an adjustment," Flynn said.

"Yeah, guess so," John replied.

"Alright, dude. I'm heading off to English. See you later," Flynn said, closing his locker and heading in the opposite direction. John turned around, and saw that his locker was decked out with school spirit and the school colors. There was even a sign that said: John, you rock. Get 'em at tonight's game.

"You like it?" John heard a voice ask. He turned around, surprised to see Jamie standing behind him, her arms crossed over his chest.

"Uh… yeah," John stammered.

"The whole cheerleading team got our pick of basketball players to decorate lockers… I chose you," Jamie smiled, flirtatiously.

"I see that," John stated.

"Look, I know we haven't really spoken since the beginning of school after… you know, but it's totally water under the bridge. Don't even worry about. It's just a friend doing something for a friend. Tonight's game is a big one and you know how the whole squad has our traditions," Jamie started.

"Yeah. Well uh, thanks. It looks really great," John said.

"Thanks," Jamie smiled. John knew all about their traditions. The cheerleaders picked a guy on the basketball or football team – whatever season it was and John happened to play both – and decorated their lockers for the season. His hadn't been decorated as much ever since he stopped seeing Jamie, but now this? It seemed a little too suspicious. Decorating a guy's locker and owning up to it was a social cue that the girl had staked the guy out. It was like marking their territory.

"I'll uh, see you around, okay?" John asked, attempting to distance himself from her.

"Yeah. See you at tonight's game, number 15," she winked.

"Uh huh," John nodded, wearily, before walking away. John saw Renee heading towards him in the hallway. "Hey, you."

"Hey," Renee smiled.

"Why don't I walk you to class?" John asked, putting his arm around her and attempting to steer her in the opposite direction so she wouldn't see his locker.

"Wh-, John! I've got to get my stuff out of my locker," Renee protested.

"Well, I, uh, I'll get it for you!" he exclaimed, a light bulb going off in his head. "You, you stay here. I will get your stuff for you."

"John what is going on?" Renee asked, suspiciously.

He sighed, "Nothing. Nothing… just uh… yeah, let's get your stuff out of your locker. I'll walk you to class," he replied in defeat. She shot him a funny glance before they went over towards her locker. John leaned up against his, attempting to hide the decorations on the exterior of his locker.

"Is this what you didn't want me to see?" Renee asked.

"What?" John asked back, playing dumb.

"The decorations, John. Unless, you're head is bleeding green and yellow confetti," Renee answered.

John sighed, "Yeah…"

"Who was it?" Renee asked, quietly.

"Jamie," John answered.

"What?" Renee exclaimed.

"See, that's why I didn't want you to see? I knew you'd freak out but it's not a big deal, okay? It doesn't, she doesn't mean anything to me. You know that. You… you know how I feel about you," John said.

"Yeah, but she… she's Jamie," Renee said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked.

"You and I both know this whole decorating a guy's locker is a 'mark your territory' kind of thing. I-," Renee started.

"You know I wouldn't do that to you, right?" John asked, interrupting her.

"Yeah," Renee replied. She almost had to say it to convince herself. She and John both knew she wasn't totally convinced, with good reason. "Sorry, let's just put this whole thing behind us for now, okay? We should get to class anyways. Don't want to be late."

"Right," John mumbled. For now. She had said 'for now', which means it was a topic that would most likely come up later. He prayed to God that Jamie didn't fuck this up for him. He had been able to be in a relationship since September and it had been the first real relationship he had actually ever had. If this was what relationships were like, he liked it. He loved being with Renee. He knew he loved her; he just wasn't ready to say it yet.

* * *

><p>"Anyone home?" Meredith called out.<p>

"Mom!" she heard someone exclaim. She immediately saw Jude come into the hallway.

"Oh my God," she said, a huge smile spreading across her face as she went to hug him

"It's good to see you too, Mom," Jude replied.

"How was your trip? Where is she? I can't wait to meet her," Meredith asked, eagerly.

"She's in the kitchen. We actually got home a couple of minutes ago and started making a late lunch," Jude answered.

"Oh, should I leave you two alone then?" Meredith asked.

"No, no! She's been dying to meet you too and Dad's already in there with her so you have nothing to worry about. That and well, I think we all know that you wouldn't be able to leave us alone," Jude teased.

"I would- yeah, you're right. I wouldn't be able to," Meredith admitted.

Jude chuckled, "Come on."

"Has Mom attacked her yet?" John asked, coming into the house, Victoria and Flynn following close behind.

"No. Shush, you," Meredith hissed. The four them headed into the kitchen where Dean and Jude's girlfriend were.

"So, I figured it was about time you all met my girlfriend," Jude announced as they got into the kitchen. She had long, black hair that felt into big, perfect ringlets. She

John took one good look at her before saying, "Uh… Does your girlfriend know about the hot chick?"

"Very funny," Jude replied sarcastically.

"What? Just asking," John shrugged.

"Everyone this is Anna. Anna, this is… everyone," Jude introduced. They all chuckled. "Kidding. This is John, and the twins are Flynn and Victoria. And that's my mom and… you already know my dad."

"Gotcha. It's nice to finally meet you all. I've heard so much about you," Anna said.

"Good things, we hope," Meredith replied.

"Yes, definitely good things," Anna answered.

"Can I get you anything?" Meredith asked.

"Nope. I'm fine. How about you, babe?" Anna asked Jude.

"I'm fine. I'm actually going to go unpack some of our stuff," Jude replied.

"You mind if I stay?" Anna asked.

"Not at all. Hey, family, be good, okay? I want her to come back, not running for the hills," Jude joked.

"Yeah, yeah, we got it," John mumbled.

"Hey, mind if I come with?" Victoria asked.

"No," Jude shrugged.

"Okay," Victoria said, following her older brother up the stairs. Once she knew they were out of earshot, she began to talk "When were you going to tell me?"

"Surprise?" Jude offered up.

"No, don't get me wrong. I'm happy for you. A little warning would've been nice, though. You don't know how hard it was to resist doing a happy dance in the kitchen back there. Oh my God, Jude. She's gorgeous!" Victoria squealed.

"Yeah, she is," Jude smirked.

"Okay tell me everything. I want to know," Victoria said.

"Like what?" Jude asked back, clueless.

"Like, everything, dumbass. The last time we talked about her, you had had the world's most awkward phone call in the world. How'd it get from that to coming home on break to meet the family and calling each other 'babe', and what not," Victoria replied.

Jude chuckled, "Uh, well, I got back to school and we kinda talked about the awkward phone call…"

**~Flashback~**

_"Hey," Anna said, approaching him after their first class of the day that they had together. _

"_Hey," Jude said, looking around._

_"Looking for someone?" Anna asked._

_"What? No," Jude answered, antsy._

_"Is everything okay?"_

_"Yeah. Fine," Jude replied. "So how was your break, spending time with your grandparents and all that?"_

_"It was fine," Anna answered._

_"Just fine?" Jude asked._

_"Just fine," she replied, laughing a little. "By the way, thanks for calling. It meant a lot to me, Jude."_

_"Oh, wh- that? It was no problem," Jude shrugged._

_"I hope you had a good time with your family," she said._

_"You know, maybe over break you could join us," Jude blurted out. He covered his mouth right afterwards in shock that he had actually said that. "I-…" He meant to cover up but when he really thought about it, he wanted her to come with him to meet his family over winter break. What did that even mean for them?_

_"You're serious?" she asked._

_"Yeah," Jude replied._

_A small smile began to form on her lips, turning into an even bigger smile, "Yeah, okay. If that's alright with your parents, of course."_

_"I'm sure it will be. I'll ask, but they love meeting new people so I don't think it'll be a problem at all," Jude answered._

_"Okay," Anna replied, still in shock that Jude had even asked her that._

**~End Flashback~**

"Wow, look at you!" Victoria said.

"Yeah," Jude chuckled.

"So how'd you ask her out?"

"Ah… that… Later that night she kind of asked me about it – you know, the fact that I asked her to come home with me. Turns out I wasn't the only one that thought about the implications of bringing her home with me. I was hanging out at the coffee shop she worked at…" Jude said.

**~Flashback~**

"_Late night?" Anna asked. It was about closing time and Jude was still there, sitting in the chair he usually picked, reading a book._

_"Yeah. My final tomorrow is all studied for and uh, figured I'd pick up some fine literature," Jude replied._

_Anna laughed, "Hey, can we talk?"_

_"Yeah, about what?" Jude asked, playing dumb._

_"What you asked me about earlier today… Look, I don't think it's such a good idea anymore," Anna replied._

_"What?" Jude asked, disappointedly._

"_Yeah. I'm-, I'm just going to be honest with you, Jude. I… I still… look, I know I said that when we talked at the beginning of the year, we should just get closure but, being with you here… hasn't exactly been closure. I still have feelings for you, and it's okay if you don't. I get it, but I think I needed to get this off my chest. I just feel like if I come home with you for break than we'd be sending the wrong message to your parents and-." Anna began, but was interrupted when Jude leaned over and kissed her. "Jude?"_

"_Yeah?" Jude asked back, a smile on his face._

_"What?" Anna asked._

_"Why wouldn't I feel the same?" Jude asked back._

_"I-," Anna started. Instead of answering, she just leaned in again, kissing him back. "Yeah, okay. Let's-, I'll come home with you for break."_

_"Okay," Jude smiled._

**~End Flashback~**

"Aw, Jude! Good. It's about damn time," Victoria said.

Jude laughed, "Thanks, but enough about me. So how's the boyfriend? Dad had a total freak out yet?"

"Oh, yes. Dad totally flipped out on me, but we're working on it," Victoria replied.

"Good," Jude said, ruffling her hair. She pushed his hand away, laughing. "Help me out with this?"

"Sure," Victoria answered.

* * *

><p>That night was the big basketball game and almost the whole school had showed up. Certainly all of the WalshWinchester clan was there. It was no halftime and Renee had gone to the bathroom while her family remained on the bleachers. The two basketball teams were half pep talks or whatever they did…

Renee was washing her hands, about to head back into the gym, when someone stood at the sink right next to her.

"Renee Walsh. Daughter of a New York socialite and fashion designer," Jamie said, as she glanced over at Renee once.

"Yep. That's me," Renee replied uncomfortably.

"Hm. I guess John didn't do so badly for himself after all," Jamie said, a smirk on her face. Renee wanted to punch the daylights out of her and wipe that smirk off of her face right then and there but she knew she couldn't.

"And you're… the girl that decorated his locker today," Renee said.

"Damn straight," Jamie replied, before strutting right by her. Renee watched as Jamie left. She had a feeling that this was not a good sign. She dried her hands on a paper towel before leaving the bathroom. She was walking back towards the bleachers when someone ambushed her. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

"Hey, you," the voice said.

Renee practically jumped, "Oh my God, you scared the hell out of me, John."

"Sorry, babe," John smiled, kissing her cheek. She turned around to look at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jamie was watching them. She'd make this interesting.

"So guess who I just talked to?" Renee asked.

"Who?" John asked back.

"Jamie," Renee replied.

"Oh, no. What'd she say to you?" John asked, beginning to break away, scanning the crowd for Jamie.

"No, John, stop! It's okay. Look, I just wanted to tell you that about today… look, I trust you. It's her I don't trust. And yes, I do know how you feel about me, John. I'm sorry for being weird earlier today," Renee replied.

"I get it. She's… abrasive," John said.

"More or less," Renee said back, sarcastically.

John chuckled, "Well, it's good to know you trust me."

"I do," Renee confirmed.

"Good. Hey, I've got to get back. Kiss for good luck?" John asked.

"Two, in fact," Renee said, kissing him twice. A wide grin spread across John's face.

"Bye," he said.

"Bye," Renee said back, before returning to the bleachers. If she had anything to do with it, Jamie wasn't going to get in the way. "Hey." Renee sat down next to Greer. "How's he doing?"

"He's good. He doesn't have much playing time left though," Greer answered, talking about Cole. Cole and John were both on the team.

"Ah, neither does John. They played our boys a lot in the first half of the game, huh?" Renee asked back.

"Yeah. I hope Jamie's not giving you any trouble. I saw the way she was looking at you and John," Greer replied.

"Yeah, but it's nothing I can't handle," Renee said, glancing over at Jamie.

Greer nodded slowly, "Hey, if there's anything I can do to help…"

"Thanks, I may actually take you up on that if she tries anything," Renee replied.


	30. All That I Want: A Winchester Christmas

**December 21, 2029**

It was the last day of school before the Winter break and all of the students at Sioux Falls High were ablaze with joy that they were out of school. The commencement of break was always a big after school event including an auction and food for the families and students of the Sioux Falls High.

Greer and Cole walked arm and arm looking around at all of the strange items that were being auctioned off.

"Ooh, how about an antique butter churner for Christmas this year?" Cole asked, jokingly.

"Yes! It'll go perfectly with my loom," Greer said back, playing along. Her eyes widened as she picked up another item. "Oh! I know what I'm getting you for Christmas this year." She grabbed the toboggan hat and pulled it over Cole's head and a little over his face. He laughed, pulling it off of his head.

"What? For when I decide to go skiing or decide to become a cat burglar?" He asked.

"Cat burglar, obviously," Greer replied.

"So… speaking of Christmas, what do you want?" Cole asked bluntly.

Greer shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't really ever had a real Christmas so... whenever people ask me that, I feel like a fish out of water."

"More reason to answer it. This year you, if you leave it up to me, you're definitely getting an authentic Christmas," Cole replied.

"You could pay my rent. Kidding! Do not pay my rent. Besides, after working at that diner place we always go to for the past month along with some of the money my mom gave me, I've actually made enough to pay off my rent for a while," Greer said.

"I still can't believe you're going to have your own apartment," Cole said.

"Hey, you can't complain. A whole place to ourselves," she said back, the last part in a sing-song voice.

He smiled, "I really can't complain about that."

"But you can help me move into my apartment. I know it really won't be a lot of stuff, but you know… furniture, painting, all that jazz. The offices open back up the day after Christmas so I thought maybe we could do it sometime then," Greer said.

"Yeah, alright," Cole agreed. "I'll get John and Renee to pitch in too. I'm sure they'd be happy to."

"Alright, since you're probably way better at this than I am, what do you want for Christmas?" Greer asked, changing the subject.

"Oh no. You didn't answer my question so I won't answer yours. It's only fair," Cole said.

"Oh come on! There's gotta be something," Greer begged.

Cole shrugged, "Nope. There's really nothing I want for Christmas. Trust me. My parents have enough of a hard time trying to figure out what to get me."

"Cole," Greer groaned. "You're making it hard to be a good girlfriend here."

"Look, don't worry about it. The only I think I want for Christmas this year is snow and I'm pretty sure none of us have control over the weather. Is that cheesy – to want a white Christmas?" Cole asked, laughing a bit.

Greer laughed, "Yeah, but it's cute." She leaned over, giving him a small peck on the cheek before the continued walking. Out of the corner of Greer's eye, she saw Renee and John walking together. They had just come out of the school and they were heading their way.

"Hey, guys," Renee greeted, as they met up with Cole and Greer.

"Hey," Cole said.

"So do people actually still churn their own butter?" John asked, glancing over at the antique butter churner.

"Not really. That's why it says antique, silly," Renee said, nudging John playfully. He nudged her back and then both shared a laugh. Those two were so couple-y and in sync it wasn't even funny. Greer shot John a look.

"What?" John asked.

"Nothing," Greer said. When she knew Cole wasn't looking, she shot John another look that said 'I need to talk to Renee', nodding over towards Renee. John mouthed back and 'Oh'.

"Dude! Old GI Joe action figures. Cole, come with me," John said, grabbing his cousin's arm and practically dragging him away.

"Real subtle," Renee chuckled as they were gone.

"I'm having a hard time trying to find something to get Cole for Christmas," Greer explained.

Renee sighed, "Yeah, that's a tough one. Cole doesn't really like things. His parents have a hard enough time trying to figure out what to get him!"

"Yeah, he said that," Greer sighed. "I just want to get him something thoughtful, you know? All he said when I asked was that he wanted snow and it's not like I can give him snow or anything."

Renee looked back at Greer with an evil smile on her face, "You sure about that?"

"What do you have up your sleeve?" Greer asked.

"Just an idea. My parents have this annual Christmas Eve party, so why don't you come over then? It's always just a bunch of my parents' friends and then the family so I really won't need to be there," Renee started. Just then, the boys headed towards them and she knew she had to change the subject. "Oh, and bring a pair of scissors."

* * *

><p><strong>December 24, 2029<strong>

The sounds of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" played as Greer came into the house. She looked around. It was a stunning house, really. She shrugged off her leather jacket.

"Hi, you must be Greer," she heard a voice say. A beautiful, blonde, middle aged woman came towards her. "I can take your coat if you'd like me to. Renee said you'd be coming."

"Yeah, hi. I think we've met a couple of times at the football games," Greer started.

"Yeah, I'm Molly, Renee's mom," Molly replied.

"Nice to meet you," Greer smiled politely.

"Renee is up in her room right now. It looks like the North Pole exploded in there so I apologize in advance," Molly started.

"Oh, it's not a problem at all," Greer replied.

"Alright, it's up the stairs on your right," Molly instructed. She gave Molly her coat before hurrying up the stairs towards Renee's room. She pushed the door open as she saw Renee and a blonde girl that looked a lot like her sitting on the bed.

"Good, you're here! We've just gotten started," Renee said, happily. "Come in. Drop your stuff. Anywhere on the floor is fine. As you can see, my room looks like Santa Claus the tornado hit it, but I've been wrapping stuff all day and just started working on the snowflakes."

"Wow, you've really outdone yourself, Renee," Greer started.

She shrugged, "Cole's a good friend of mine and I actually like you, comparatively to his last girlfriend."

"Oh yeah?" Greer asked, cautiously sitting down on the bed.

"Yep, but that's a different story for another time. Oh, by the way, Greer, this is Iz, my sister," Renee introduced.

"Nice to meet you. I think what you're doing for Cole is really sweet, by the way," Iz said.

"It was really all your sister's idea, but thanks," Greer said back.

"Oh, please. Here, have some paper," Renee said, handing Greer a giant stack of white paper. "Cut away!"

"Sounds good," Greer chuckled. "Hey, how do we know Cole won't burst in any moment?"

"We don't, but at the moment, he's actually not here right now. He and Haley disappeared. They had to run an errand or something so we're safe for now," Renee replied, diligently working at the paper snowflakes she was making. Greer began to make hers too and put them in the cardboard box on the floor as soon as she finished one.

"You know, I really can't thank you enough. Setting up a winter wonderland for him in my empty apartment? That's kind of genius," Greer started.

"Don't worry about it," Renee shrugged. "Hey, do you want to put on some music?"

"Other than this Christmas music? Yes, please. I don't know. There's something about Christmas music… it's nice for a while and then it just gets redundant," Greer said.

"Agreed," Renee added. She got up and woke up her laptop before starting something else.

"You like The Cure?" Greer asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Renee replied, detecting Greer's surprise. "I may look like a cheerleader, but I am far from one."

Greer chuckled, "I think we're going to get along great."

"Good, because I have a feeling you'll be sticking around for a while," Renee replied. "And it's actually kind of nice to have another girl in this group of people that's around my age. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love Victoria and Haley… and you too, Iz, but you all are always together and I'm always left with John, Cole, and Jude."

"Doesn't sound like such bad company," Greer remarked.

"It's not. It's just nice to have an addition," Renee answered.

"You know, I've never really had friends that were girls. I mean, I haven't really even had real friends ever so this whole thing is… new to me," Greer admitted.

Renee shot her a small, friendly smile, "Yes, the Winchester/Walsh clan can be quite overwhelming sometimes. We apologize in advance."

Greer laughed, "You know, I think I'm really going to like it here."

"Hey, what's-, woah why does it look like the abominable snowman threw up on your room?" John asked, coming into Renee's bedroom. Greer, Iz, and Renee all looked up from their snowflakes to see John.

"It's Cole's Christmas present," Renee answered.

"Snow?" John asked.

"Yeah," Greer replied.

"Huh, cool. He loves snow," John remarked.

"Uh huh. Actually, we could use an extra pair of hands. What're you doing right now?" Renee asked.

"Wh-, oh no," John shook his head.

"Please?" Renee begged.

John just stood there, pausing before finally sighing, "Yeah, okay fine. But you owe me."

"I know," Renee said back.

* * *

><p>"Santa Baby" played from the stereo as John and Renee took a break from snowflake cutting and went downstairs to get something to drink.<p>

"So I have a little early Christmas present for you," Renee started.

"Oh?" John asked, a smirk began to form on his face. He leaned in to kiss her but she placed a hand on his chest, pushing him a way.

"Not now," Renee groaned. "So my parents and Iz are all going away for New Year's. Iz's class is taking a field trip to New York and Dad signed up to chaperone. Mom's got work stuff to tend to so I volunteered to stay back, watch the house. I told them it'd be good practice for when I got away to college next year and they uh, agreed."

"What're you saying?" John asked.

"I'm saying that you and I will have the house to ourselves," Renee said, before biting her lip. She could barely believe what she was saying, but they had waited long enough. Neither of them were new to this, so she figured why not? She was done taking things slowly.

"Are you sure?" John asked.

"I'm positive. I thought you come over New Year's eve and I'd cook you dinner… then you could stay over?" Renee suggested.

"O-okay," John stammered.

"Okay," Renee smiled, before pressing a small kiss to his lips. "We should go back upstairs and help out with the fake snow. Come on." She offered her hand out to John and he took it, following her back upstairs.

* * *

><p>"Okay, stop. We're going to have to put this tree down or my hands may start bleeding," Haley said.<p>

"Okay. Thanks so much, by the way, for helping out. I don't think I could've brought in the tree and decorated it all by myself," Cole said.

"No problem. It's good to see you this happy with someone," Haley answered back. There was a beep and Cole pulled something out of his pocket. "What?"

"It's from Greer. It says that she wants me to meet her back at the apartment in two hours," Cole said.

"Is that bad?" Haley asked.

"Yeah. I don't want her seeing the tree yet but it sounds like she wants to give me my gift at the apartment too," Cole said.

"Hm… how about this? How about we throw a sheet of the tree and you can plug all the lights in when you're there with her that way she'll be surprised even if she's been there already," Haley suggested.

Cole nodded, "That'll do. Alright, all we have to do is make our way to the elevator and down the hall to the actual apartment, and we'll be good. You ready?"

"Yeah," Haley answered. On three, Cole and Haley picked the Christmas tree up and began to scoot towards the elevator that was getting closer and closer. "By the way, I think what you're doing for Greer is really sweet – getting her a Christmas tree like this. It I knew it involved robbery, I'm not quite sure I would've volunteered to be a part of it."

"What? It was in the discard yard at the tree place," Cole said. "They were going to throw it out anyways! Now, it's going to good use. Besides, it's not like people are going to want a tree after Christmas, the place was closed when we got there, and I left a donation!"

Haley laughed, "Alright, so partial robbery." They reached the elevator and once they were in it, dropped the tree. "Oh thank God."

"It's only on the third floor, kiddo. Sorry, but this tree will be right back up in a couple of minutes," Cole said, breathing harder than normal. Carrying the big tree was quite a workout. The elevator dinged and the doors opened and they were back to carrying the tree down the hall. Cole pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

"How do you have a key already?" Haley asked.

"I talked to the landlord and told her that I was planning a surprise. I'm surprised she didn't freak out and think I was an axe murderer," Cole replied simply.

Haley laughed, "You might want to warn her about that landlord then." Then hauled the tree into the apartment and stood it up in the living room.

"You ready?" Cole asked.

"Yep," Haley replied. They had brought the box of tree decorations up before and it was waiting outside the apartment door. "I'll go get that box." Haley disappeared and then returned quickly with the box of decorations.

"Let's get to work then," Cole replied, a warm feeling filling him. He couldn't wait to see Greer's face when she saw the tree. When Greer said she hadn't ever had a real Christmas, he knew this was exactly what he was going to give her for Christmas.

* * *

><p><em>"Out in the harbor. The ships come in, it's Christmastime. The kids all holler carols 'cross the water, stars that shine. All that I want, all that I want..."<em>

Greer opened the door to her apartment and stepped in. She gasped as she saw the giant figure covered in a sheet that stood to the side of her living room. She had a very strong feeling from the scent of evergreen and the green sticking out, what that was, but she had to ignore it for now and work on her gift for Cole. She began to set it all up. She honestly couldn't be any more thankful than she already was for Renee. She really liked Renee and could see herself becoming friends with her.

_For once in your life, you have a place you belong, _she thought to herself. This is so surreal. _You've got actual friends, an apartment to yourself, your mother back in your life, and a gorgeous boyfriend._

She set up the fake snow, tastefully around the room and began to tape snowflakes to the wall. On the wall right behind her, she set up the projector and her laptop to the screensaver that Iz had created. It was an image of mountains and evergreen trees covered with snow. The snow was blowing around and it was a picturesque image of a winter wonderland. She then set a mattress topper on the floor and made it up like a bed, putting a sheet on it, throwing a sheet over that, and then a fluffy comforter. Greer remained in her dress that she had worn to the Christmas party.

She waited twenty minutes more before it was time. Right on time, there was knock at her apartment door and she sauntered over it. _Since when do I saunter? _She asked herself. Instead, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind and answered the door.

"Hey," she smiled, seeing Cole.

"Wow, you look… wow," Cole said back.

"Thanks. Okay, close your eyes," Greer said.

"What?" Cole asked.

"Just do it!" she snapped, in an impatiently cute way.

Cole chuckled, "Yeah, okay. Just make sure I don't bump into anything okay?"

"Okay," Greer giggled. She led him into the middle of the living room. "Tada! You can open your eyes now."

"Wh-, how did you do all of this?" Cole asked, speechless.

"I had a little help from my elves," Greer replied.

"This is… incredible. Thank you," Cole said, still in awe. He just looked around, marveling at the decorated room.

"Merry Christmas," Greer grinned.

"You too… wow. Okay, sorry. I need to stop because I haven't even given you your Christmas present yet," Cole said, trying to pull it together.

"Let me guess? A Christmas tree," Greer asked, playfully.

"You didn't look, did you?" He asked, panicky.

Greer giggled, "Nope, but I figured once it smelled like Christmas in my apartment."

"Alright, alright, you caught me. But pretend to act surprised when I show it to you, okay?" Cole asked, going over to the tree and beginning to take the sheet off. "Ready?"

"As always," Greer replied. Cole unmasked the tree, revealing it to be fully decorated. He bent down to plug in the lights to the outlet and the whole tree lit up.

"What do you think?" Cole asked, a huge smile on his face.

Greer shook her head in awe, "It's beautiful, Cole." She could feel tears in her eyes and hated that. _Since when do I cry?_To avoid her tears, she said something instead. "This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. It's… it's wow."

"How about you come join me?" Greer asked, walking over towards the bed she had made up on the floor and sitting down.

"Okay," Cole agreed, sitting down next to her.

"Thank you, Cole. You've… it's not even Christmas and you've given me a real Christmas already," she smiled. "I'm always going to remember this."

"Me too," Cole said.

She bit her lip, "You're amazing, you know that?"

"I-," Cole started.

"Uh uh. Just take the compliment for once, okay?" Greer asked, cutting him off.

He chuckled, "Yeah, okay. But so are you."

"Oh shut up," she said with a laugh, rolling her eyes playfully.

"You have turned my world upside down, Greer Lawson. You know that?" Cole asked, playfully.

"Mhm. For the better, I hope," Greer said back.

"Definitely for the better," Cole replied as they shared a laugh. Greer leaned in a little as Cole met her halfway, pressing a kiss to her lips. Greer kissed him back, deepening the kiss. Cole kissed her back, returning as much passion to match hers as the kiss began to really heat up. Greer pulled away for a second, to breathe.

"Look, I don't really know how this whole taking it slow things works…" she trailed off.

"Oh," Cole said back.

"So if this is too fast," she started.

"Oh, no," Cole started.

"It's just… it feels like we should've been doing this a long time ago, you know?"Greer asked back.

"Yeah," Cole replied, trying to regain his normal breathing patterns. He leaned in again to initiate the kiss and this time, she crashed her lips against his in a deep kiss. He pulled her close to him, her body pressing against his as clothing began to be removed. Greer gently pushed Cole down onto the floor as the kiss heated up even more.

The next morning, Cole and Greer lay wrapped up in the sheets of the floor bed.

"Why are we up at six in the morning?" Greer groaned.

"Must be used to it since we just got out of school," Cole replied.

"Mmm. Good morning," she said, smiling at him.

"Morning to you too," Cole replied, kissing her once.

"Now, the arts and crafts were really impressive but I'm still trying to figure out how you managed the real snow," Cole said, glancing out the window to see it snowing.

"I have connections," Greer replied.

Cole sighed, "As much as I hate for this to end, I should probably get back before anyone notices I'm gone."

"Yeah. I'll see you at the dinner tonight, though?" she said, almost as if it were a question.

"Yeah," Cole said back, smiling.

_"And when the cold wind's blowing, snow drifts through the pine trees. In houses lights are glowing, likewise in your eyes that find me here with all that I want. Out in the harbor the ships come in, it's Christmastime. It's Christmastime. It's Christmastime..."_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Christmas in the summer? I know, I know, but I'm kind of IN LOVE with this chapter. Can't wait to write the next one. YES. More Christmas. No joke…


	31. River: A Winchester Christmas pt 2

IMPORTANT NOTE: I have so many ideas (and much more time to write them) than I know what to do with so it is up to YOU to help me decide what to write next. I set up a poll on Quizilla that you can vote it. The story descriptions will be linked and the poll just has the story names. Thank you so much! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote. I don't think you have to be a member of the site to vote on them either.

STORY DESCRIPTIONS: quizilla. teennick (dot) com (slash) stories/23804508/new-stories-please-vote-in-my-poll

POLL: quizilla. teennick (dot) com (slash) polls/23804505/what-story-should-i-write-next

Just remove the spaces in the links since fanfiction won't let me post the links as whole ones. (and every time it says "(dot)" or "slash" insert a dot or slash. Ughhh WHY FANFICTION?

ALSO, please listen to RIVER by ANGUS STONE to set the mood for this chapter.

* * *

><p>Cole gently shut the front door behind him, making sure to lock it as he tiptoed back up the steps to his room. Once he reached the fourth step, he heard a squeak, closing his eyes and swearing under his breath. Damn it. Forgot that those one always squeaked. He shook his head before continuing to walk up the steps, creeping back into his room. He glanced at the clock. He knew his family wouldn't be up for another hour and figured that he'd try and get some sleep.<p>

_So this is what John feels like?_Cole thought to himself. He smiled to himself, replaying the events of last night as he got into bed. He closed his eyes, drifting off into a light sleep.

"Cole, wake up! Hurry up. It's Christmas morning!" Cole heard someone call. He opened his eyes to see his younger brother Jackson standing in the doorway to his bedroom.

"What time is it?" Cole grumbled.

"It's 9:30 and everyone's up already except for you," Jackson said.

"Apparently not anymore," Cole groaned. He saw the eager look on his brother's face and sighed. "Sorry about that, man. Shouldn't have said that. It's Christmas. I'm-, I'm up. Come on. Let's go." Cole began to get out of bed, stretching.

"You gonna take all day?" Jackson teased.

"Ooh. Sassy this morning, are we?" Cole asked back, jokingly.

"Impatient," Jackson answered.

Cole chuckled, "I'm coming, dude." Jackson grinned up at his big brother as the two of them went downstairs to the living room where the Christmas tree was. His mother and Haley were waiting in the living room already. His mother had a mug filled with coffee and breakfast on a plate. Haley had breakfast next to her mom on the couch.

"Oh, look who's finally graced us with his presence," Sam announced, seeing his son.

"Sorry about that…" Cole trailed off, hoping his dad wouldn't say anything. By the look on his face, he could tell his dad knew he hadn't come home last night. "Better late than never, right?"

"Okay, open mine, first," Jackson said eagerly, practically thrusting a wrapped present into his older brother's hand. And so the gift giving began.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Victoria. That one's from me and Anna," Jude started, as Victoria held up another wrapped box. She had to stop herself from gushing as Jude said 'me and Anna'. After hearing their whole story, she thought they were adorable. Victoria unwrapped the box, before pulling the lid off, and gasping as soon as she saw what was in the box.<p>

"Oh my God, it's beautiful," Victoria said, holding up the necklace. "And this scarf too. Wow."

"I was doing my Christmas shopping in Peru this summer and Anna came with me to give me some advice," Jude said.

"The scarf was hand knitted from baby alpaca wool. Don't worry. No apalcas were hurt in the making," Anna said.

Victoria laughed, "Oh, they're both great. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Jude and Anna both replied in turn.

"Alright, this one is for you," Jude said, handing a long tube with a bow on top of it. She shot him a funny look, giggling a little before taking it.

"Thank you," she said. She took the cap off of the tube and pulled out the poster.

"I know how much you love _The 400 Blows_," Jude started as Anna examined the poster, eyes wide with a smile on her face. John snickered at the name of the film and Jude just glared at him. "Not like that." Victoria hit John playfully on the arm while Jude just continued. "I was… browsing the internet and happened to find an original French poster."

"Oh my God, Jude!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you keep talking about how you don't know what to decorate your apartment with and how it's always so bare all the time," Jude said.

"I love it. It's perfect. It's going right up on the wall above the couch when we get back to Pennsylvania," Anna said, chewing on her bottom lip and glancing over the poster.

"I'm glad you like it," Jude said.

"Thank you, baby," she said back, kissing him once.

"Glad you got it right this time," Flynn teased.

"Flynn!" Jude exclaimed, his eyes widening, as the whole family erupted in laughter.

"What?" Anna asked.

"The last time Jude brought home a girl from Christmas, gifts ended up going a little… well, awkward later on," Victoria replied.

"Do tell," Anna replied, amused.

"Oh, no. It's not really that great of a story," Jude said.

"No, this is a great story. You definitely want to hear this," John chimed in.

"Oh God," Jude groaned.

"Oh not this story," Meredith chuckled.

"This story," Dean laughed.

"Freshmen year, Jude brought home his girlfriend for the holidays," Flynn started.

"And he and Dad both happened to be getting their significant others lingerie from Victoria's Secret," Victoria continued.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'll take it from here," Jude sighed. "Well, what happened was that Dad and I got our gifts mixed up and…"

**~Flashback~**

_**Meredith and Dean**_

"Merry Christmas," Dean said, bringing Meredith that all too familiar pink Victoria's Secret bag. "It's too bad you're already dressed. I was hoping you'd wear this before we headed over to Sam and Sawyer's for Christmas."

"I'm glad you waited to do this so I didn't open sexy underwear in front of the kids," Meredith giggled. She and Dean sat down on their bed as she began to open it. Meredith paused, looking up at Dean. "Ooh, did you get the white one with the black lace or the beige with the black lace?"

"Open it up and see," Dean smirked, eagerly waiting for his wife to open up the gift. Meredith gently tore through the tissue paper, raising an eyebrow as she pulled the bra and panty set out of the bag.

"Now, this was a fantasy I was not aware of," Meredith said, holding up the PINK panty set. The bra was a light girlish pink with the logo PINK printed all over it, with a matching bikini cut panty.

"Wh-, but- but that's not mine!" Dean protested.

_**Jude and Kelsey**_

"I hope it's not too much," Jude said, nervously waiting for his girlfriend to open up the gift. He had never given a girl lingerie before but they were in college so why not? Kelsey opened the bag and, her eyes widening.

"Jude.. uh… I don't know how experience you are but this…?" she asked, holding it up. Jude's eyes widened, backing away a little.

_"That is not mine!" he protested._

"What do you mean?" Kelsey asked, confused.

"_I mean-, oh damn it! My dad and I's bags got switched. Damn it, damn it, damn it," he swore._

Kelsey giggled, "It's okay, Jude. For the record, it is kind of sexy."

Jude just looked at her, "Ew."

"What? You wouldn't want to see me in this?" she cooed, playfully.

He smirked at the thought, "Yes, but the fact that my dad bought that for my mom… well more like him- ew. Ew, ew ,ew."

She laughed, "My parents are the same way. Trust me. I know the feeling."

**~End Flashback~**

By the end of Jude's story, Anna was laughing, "Aw, that's… really embarrassing."

"Yeah, it was really awkward and I haven't brought home a girl since. It's probably a good thing I didn't buy you lingerie and if I ever do, it will be far, far away from my parents," Jude said.

"Oh come on, we're not that bad!" Meredith protested.

"Okay, but to avoid any further mix ups," Jude started.

"Yeah, okay," Meredith chuckled.

Once the Winchesters were done with opening gifts, they just spent time in the living room together. Meredith had gotten up to get a glass of water when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She smiled, before turning around to see her handsome as ever husband standing behind her.

"I don't know what it is, but it just feels like this Christmas is going to be one to remember," Meredith sighed happily.

"Well, Christmas has kind of always been special to us," Dean said.

"Yeah, you're right," Meredith agreed.

"Like our first time back in '95," Dean smirked.

"And that time back in '92 when you tried to kiss me," Meredith challenged.

"You knew?" Dean exclaimed, surprised.

Meredith nodded, "Oh, I knew, Dean. You weren't exactly subtle, Dean." She paused to laugh, thinking about the memory. "Then Bobby burst in on us, of course."

**~Flashback~**

_"Sammy, you got a breath mint?" Dean asked, nudging his brother._

_"Um, yeah. But the box of altoids was one of my Christmas gift, Dean!" Sam protested._

_"I just want one. Please? Come on, dude. I'm about to… never mind, you wouldn't get it," Dean said, shaking his head._

_"I'll give you one if you tell me," Sam bargained._

_Dean just stared at his little brother once before sighing, "Fine."_

_"Here," Sam said, opening up the box of Altoids and giving Dean one. "Okay, spill."_

_"I'm-, I'm going to talk to Meredith," Dean said._

_Sam raised an eyebrow, "You've been talking to Meredith all week and you've never once asked for a breath mint."_

_"Yeah, well maybe I already had some. Just ran out," Dean challenged._

_Sam scowled, crossing his arms over his chest, "I think you're going to do more than talk."_

_"If she lets me," Dean mumbled to himself. "Bye, Sammy. Thanks for the mint." He left the room before Sam could even say anything else. He looked around the house in search for Meredith, and finally found her curled up on the window seat in Bobby's study with a new book she had gotten for Christmas._

_"Hey," Dean said, approaching her, and putting on his extra cool guy front._

_"Hey," Meredith said, looking up at Dean once, before returning her eyes back to her book. Dean froze. Why wasn't she reacting any more than that?_

_"Mind if I sit?" Dean asked._

_"Nope," Meredith replied, simply, still reading her book. Dean sat down, looking around. He watched as Meredith continued to read._

_"Must be some book," Dean said, awkwardly._

_"It's really good," Meredith replied, her eyes lighting up._

_"What is it?" Dean asked. He hoped he wasn't bothering her. She put the book down, showing him the cover. "It's a collection of Edgar Allan Poe poems. Here, listen to this." Meredith scooted towards him, beginning to read from one of the poems. "I It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea,/That a maiden there lived whom you may know/By the name of ANNABEL LEE;/And this maiden she lived with no other thought/Than to love and be loved by me./I was a child and she was a child,/In this kingdom by the sea;/But we loved with a love that was more than love-/I and my Annabel Lee;/With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven/Coveted her and me."_

_"Isn't that beautiful, Dean?" she asked, looking up at him with soft eyes._

_He nodded, unsure of what to say, "Uh huh. Yeah." He wasn't really listening. He just stared at her lips the whole time. Since when did his friend get so hot?_

_Those perfect lips of hers curved into a smile, "I love it. It makes me cry every time. That's why we should not read the whole thing… and I should probably stop talking about it because I sound like a-."_

_"No, you love it. I get it," Dean said._

_"Yeah?" she asked._

_"Yeah," Dean replied. There was a silence and Dean took advantage of it. He began to lean it towards Meredith, hesitating to make sure she was okay with it. And she seemed more than okay with it. In fact, he began to inch a little closer to him too._

_"Merry Christmas, Dean," she whispered._

_"Yeah, you too," he said back._

_"Meredith, I'm starting on some cookies now. You gonna help me or are you just gonna sit there with that idgit?" Bobby asked, bursting into the room._

_"Oh, yeah, of course, Bobby," Meredith said, blushing. Meredith got up, leaving her book and walked towards Bobby, hoping he hadn't seen what was going on. But from the looks of it, Bobby had seen it all. Bobby was giving Dean the evil eye as she walked out of the room._

**~End Flashback~**

Dean laughed, "I was that close too!"

"Hey, what about that one time back in uh… I think it was '91 when you and Sam were holed up in a motel room and I called you after a couple of years without contact. Sam called me to ask if I'd call you when you got back from your errand," Meredith brought up.

"Wait, Sam did that?" Dean asked.

"Uh huh," Meredith replied.

"I always thought you were just calling because you liked me," Dean chuckled.

"Nope. It was all Sam," Meredith answered.

**~Flashback~**

"_Hello?" Dean asked, as he took the phone from Sam._

_"Hey, Dean. It's me," the voice said on the other line._

_"Meredith?" Dean asked._

_"Yeah. Listen, I just wanted to call and wish you a merry Christmas. See what you were up to…." Meredith trailed off._

_"Well, thanks. How-, how've you been?" Dean asked, sitting up straight, a broad smile across his face. Sam glanced over at his brother, a satisfied smile on his face. This was his Christmas present to Dean._

_"I've been good. How about you? How's the great adventure out on the road?" Meredith asked back with a small giggle._

_"It's been pretty cool…" Dean began._

**~End Flashback~**

"We talked on the phone for an hour that day," Dean smiled.

"Yeah, we did. I always thought about calling you, but I never knew where to reach you. I know I could've always asked Bobby but I was too scared to. I had a big crush on you," Meredith giggled.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I had a big crush on you back then too," Dean replied.

"It helps a little," Meredith answered.

* * *

><p>That evening, the whole WinchesterWalsh clan convened at Sawyer and Sam's house for Christmas dinner. Dinner was almost ready, but everyone was still arriving at the house and saying hello to everyone else.

"Hey, your mom says everything's almost ready," Greer said, coming up behind Cole and kissing him on the cheek once. The pair hadn't been able to keep their hands off of each other ever since the previous night. They were sneaking small kisses when no one was looking, their hands were touching, his hand on her knee, their knees touching… the list could go on and on.

"Look at you, all buddy-buddy with my mom," Cole smiled, placing his hand on the small of her back as he gave her a tight squeeze, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Well, your family is important to you. And besides, I like your mom," Greer answered.

He smiled, "I like the sound of that." Just then, the doorbell rang. "Come with me?" Greer nodded in agreement and the two went to the front door to open it.

"Sorry, we're late," John said, as Cole opened the door, and he and Renee stepped through.

"John was late picking me up and we got held up at that light on Blount," Renee excused. She looked to John to confirmation but realized he wasn't even listening. John, on the other hand, looked from Cole to Greer, and then from Greer back to Cole.

"Oh my God, you guys totally did it!" he accused.

Immediately, Greer began to blush and Cole opened his mouth to say something, a blush running across his cheeks as well.

"Shhh," Cole shushed.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's written all over you two's faces. Just saying," John said. "Nice, buddy." He patted Cole on the back a couple of times as he and Cole went into the dining room where they'd be eating, Greer and Renee following close behind.

"Okay blink once if it was good and blink twice if it was really good," Renee whispered to Greer. Greer made sure to check that Cole wasn't looking before she blinked once, and then several times afterwards. "That good, huh?"

"Uh huh," Greer replied, as the two girls giggled.

"Oh good. Everyone's finally here. Come on, kids. Let's eat," Sawyer said, attempting to usher in John, Renee, Cole, and Greer into the dining room.

The night went on and consisted of talking and laughing; just spending time with each other. If one thought that breakfast with Mer and Dean's family was loud enough, this was all of the Winchester/Walshes all together.

The night began to wind down and Sam and Cole were in the kitchen doing dishes. They were finishing up dishes and Sam stopped, coughing once.

"Cole, uh, can I talk to you about something?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Cole replied.

"Well, son… I uh, I think that it's time that you and I have… the talk," Sam started.

"What?" Cole asked innocently.

"I think you forget that I'm a light sleeper. I knew you came into the house early this morning," Sam replied.

Cole chewed on his lip, uncomfortable with this situation. He just wanted to get this over with, "Okay… talk away."

"Okay," Sam said, taking a deep breath in. This was as awkward for him as it was for Cole. Of course he didn't want to have to give his son the talk. He wouldn't even think about having to give his daughter the talk one day. "Were you… Did you uh… wear a… protection?"

"Oh God," Cole groaned, covering his ears. "Oh my God, yes. Oh my God, I can't believe you just asked me that.

"Well, it's- it's a valid question. If-if you're going to be having sex, you have to be responsible," Sam said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. We… we were safe, Dad," Cole said, attempting to avoid eye contact.

"Good…. Good…" Sam trailed off.

"What? Are you going to tell me that I'm too young or something?" Cole asked, defensively.

"Nope. No, if I told you that I'd be a hypocrite. No," Sam answered, uncomfortably.

"Oh," Cole replied, shifting equally uncomfortably.

"I just want to make sure you were… considerate of her wishes. You know, not rushing into-," Sam started.

"What? No, gross, Dad! Can we, can we not talk about this right now?" Cole asked.

"What? It's a… part of life. Listen, we Winchesters are very sexual beings," Sam began.

"Oh, that's- that's disgusting, Dad," Cole groaned.

Sam chuckled, nervously, "Alright, I'm uh, glad we had this talk. I'll let you go and you just… remember it's a responsibility if you're going to be-."

"Yeah, I know, it's a responsibility that I have to take on to be safe. Yeah, I get it," Cole interrupted.

"Okay," Sam said. His point was made. There was no use in torturing him any longer, right?"

"Okay," Cole said back, before practically bolting from the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"Alright, we said we'd do it here and I don't think I can wait any longer for you to see what I got you," Renee said.<p>

John chuckled, "Alright, alright. Here, open mine first."

"Okay," Renee said, sitting down on the couch. Renee and John had found a small, quiet place in the den to exchange gifts. Everyone else was in the living room, talking and playing Pictionary while John and Renee snuck off to be by themselves.

Renee unwrapped the little box that and removed the lid, gasping when she saw the beautiful, silver, heart shaped locket, "Oh John, this is incredible. I can't take this."

"You can," John replied.

"But-," Renee started.

"No, but's. I didn't take extra shifts at the garage for nothing, okay?" John replied.

A wide grin spread across her face as she leaned in to kiss him once, "Thank you, John. This is incredible."

"You're welcome. Oh, and there's one more thing," he said, handing her another wrapped package. She gave him a questioning look before opening it again. There were a couple of mixed CDs in it. "I figured since you made me a mixed CD, I'd make you a couple too."

"Songs to make you think about me. How… modest," Renee joked.

He smirked, "Hey, I've got to keep me on your mind somehow."

She giggled, rolling her eyes playfully, "They're great. I can't wait to listen to them in my car."

"Okay, now what'd you get me?" John asked, playfully.

She laughed, "Okay, here it is. By the way, great minds think alike because we have some similar things." She handed him a larger, but still thin, box.

"Aw, you got me a heart shaped locket too?" John asked, jokingly.

"Not quite," Renee replied. He tore through the wrapping paper, opening the lid, and shooting her a puzzled look as soon as he saw his gift. In the box, laid his maroon and grey striped sweater. It was one of his favorite sweaters that she had borrowed and hadn't given back yet.

"Aw, you're returning my sweater to me?" John asked.

She giggled, "Look in the left sleeve, silly."

John reached his hand up the left sleeve only to find he didn't have to look far. He turned the sleeve partially inside out to see the little, gold heart pendant sewn into the sleeve, "Renee… what is this?"

"Remember when I was little and my mom and dad got me that Tiffany heart necklace?" Renee asked.

"Yeah, you never took that thing off. That was, until the first grade, after Christmas day, when you lost it," John replied.

Renee nodded, "Yeah, I lied to you about that. I never lost it. That Christmas, I realized I wanted to give it to you someday so I stopped wearing it and put away until the day that I would give it to you. I wasn't going to tell you that then so I lied to you about it."

John was speechless. He honestly didn't know what to say until he realized he knew just the right words.

"I love you." he blurted out.

"What?" Renee asked, caught off guard, her eyes widening as she heard those three words.

"I-, oh my God, that just came out of my mouth…" John trailed off, covering his mouth. He shook his head, removing his hand. "No, you know what? I love you."

"John, I-," Renee started.

"No, it's okay if you're not ready to say it yet," John started.

She shook her head, "I love you too. And I'm not just saying that because you said it. I… wouldn't, literally, have you wearing my heart on your sleeve if I didn't." She gestured towards the sweater.

"Oh, so that's what that means!" John exclaimed, causing Renee to giggle.

"Yep. That's why I sewed the heart onto your sweater sleeve," Renee replied.

"So… does this make us an officially cheesy couple?" John asked.

Renee snorted with laughed, "I think it does. And you know what? I don't think I really care right now."

"Me either. Merry Christmas, baby," John smiled.

"Merry Christmas," Renee answered.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Okay, so I know the last scene was kind of mushy, but I've actually been trying to incorporate that with John to differentiate him so he's not exactly like Dean. I think John's a little more in touch with his feelings than Dean was, and is willing to have a couple of chick flick moments (more than Dean was willing to have at that age). That's why John just confesses his feelings in the chapter "Terrified". Hope Christmas part 2 was good.<p> 


	32. New Year's Eve

Author's Note: This was intended to be opening credits for this series, but the video was pretty long... so now it's just an... extended opening credits video for Supernatural: The Next Generation? Please check it out! Just take out the spaces from the link. Replace . with a . and (slash) with a / . If this doesn't work for you, I will post the link on my profile.

w w w . youtube . com (slash) watch?v=spPznOLi1pM

* * *

><p>"Hey, Mom?" John asked.<p>

"Yeah?" Meredith asked back, as she looked up from the laptop she had on the kitchen table. She was typing away when John came in.

"I'm going out tonight. Is that okay?" he asked.

"Going where?" Meredith asked, suspiciously.

"A party," John replied, trying to shrug it off like it was no big deal. If he did, he knew his mom wouldn't let him go and that was not an option.

"A party, huh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Don't worry, Mom. Yes, there will be alcohol, but I'm not drinking tonight," John lied. "Renee asked me not to so I'm not going to. And then I'm going to crash at one of my buddy's house. Cole's coming too. You can ask him." John knew he could use Cole as an excuse, seeing as Cole would be spending the night at Greer's apartment so John figured, Cole would know that John needed an excuse to be out all night too.

"Huh," Meredith sounded, not completely sold on John's story.

"Dad said it was okay if I went to the party," John said.

"Of course he did," Meredith said back.

"It's New Year's Eve, babe. Let him go to the party," Dean said, coming into the room and leaning down to kiss Meredith on the kitchen before gliding past her. Meredith paused, thinking it over before sighing and finally giving John an answer.

"Just… make smart choices, okay? So I don't have to worry?" Meredith requested.

"Of course, Mom," John said, rolling his eyes when he thought his mom wasn't looking. He hoped that it would throw her off his trail, so he quickly changed the subject. "So what're you and dad's plans for New Year's?"

"Oh, we're just going to go downtown to the New Year's festival," Meredith replied.

"Yeah. You're welcome to join us if you'd like," Dean added.

"What? A romantic evening with you and Mom? I don't think so," John replied, bluntly. "No offense."

"None taken," Dean mumbled.

"You could bring Renee," Meredith offered up. "Besides, Jude and Anna we'll be coming with us along with the Gallaghers."

"Ooh, isn't that going to be awkward for Flynn?" John asked, giving him mom a funny look.

"Oh, he's playing a show with his band tonight," Meredith answered.

"Hey, what happened with that? I thought that was just temporary," Dean asked.

"Turns out he liked it more than he thought and decided to stick with it," Meredith replied.

"Huh," Dean said, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, I think I'm just going to stick with my original plans. Thanks though, guys," John said. There was no way that he was going to miss out tonight, especially since Renee had the house to herself. His friends had been bugging him about going to the party, so he had convinced Renee to go with him to the party even for a little bit.

"Good morning," Greer said, walking past Cole and leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. Her hair was wavy and damp from her shower. She wore some skinny, dark wash blue jeans with a shirt with the Jack Daniels logo on it, cut as a tank top, the arm holes cut low so that she had to wear a bandeau underneath it.

"How was your shower?" Cole asked.

"Fine," she replied with a giggle. "Thank you so much for helping me move in. The place looks really amazing."

"Finally feels like home, huh?" Cole asked.

"Yeah," Greer replied with a smile. She got those giddy butterflies all over again. Greer had never felt like she had a home, but now, she did. She stared up at her Christmas tree, smiling again and thinking about her sweet boyfriend. "So much that I can't even take the tree down. It just adds a whole other layer of hominess to the apartment."

"I'm glad you like it, but you're going to have to take it down at some point," Cole said.

"Okay, yeah, I know that, Mr. Smarty Pants, but I'm not ready. Not yet, at least," Greer said back.

"Hey, are you still okay with going to Chris' party tonight?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, of course," Greer answered.

"Oh okay. We don't have to stay long. We could always come back to your apartment…" Cole trailed off, a smirk beginning to form on his face.

"That is definitely an option," Greer said, returning an equally devious smirk before sitting on his lap, sitting sideways on him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hm. As much as I'd like to stay over tonight, I don't think I can. That or I'll have to leave around one or two. I think my parents are getting suspicious," Cole started.

"But I thought you and your dad had the talk," Greer pointed out.

"Yeah, but I think it's getting to them – the thought of their son staying over at his girlfriend's almost every night," Cole replied. "I just think we should play it safe for the next couple of days. I'll be home, asleep, in my own bed for a couple of days and then the others… we'll figure it out." Greer raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh come on! We used to sneak out together anyways!"

"Cole Winchester! Look at you. When I first met you, you played it so safe. I have officially turned you to the dark side," Greer smirked.

Cole laughed, "I wouldn't call it the dark side…"

"It's the dark side," Greer declared.

"Hm… then this whole dark side thing isn't so bad after all," Cole said. Greer just laughed, leaning in and kissing him once. She glanced over at his cereal bowl, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"Ooh, you got Cap'n Crunch? You're the best," she said.

"Yep. It's on the kitchen counter. I forgot to put it away," Cole said back.

"Man, you really do think of everything," Greer said, getting off of Cole's lap and heading over towards the kitchen area.

"I thought I'd bring some breakfast over," Cole replied, contently.

"Good choice," Greer nodded, grabbing a bowl and pouring the cereal into the bowl. She grabbed the milk out of the refrigerator before heading back to the table. She put the stuff down before returning to the kitchen to grab a spoon. She returned to the table, sitting next to Cole and began to fix herself a bowl of cereal.

"Wow, I feel like we've jumped ahead a good ten years," Cole said, glancing around.

"What?" Greer asked.

"You and I in your apartment… alone. I'm constantly reminding myself that we're still sixteen and juniors in high school," Cole replied.

Greer shrugged, "It is an adult lifestyle, I suppose."

"You suppose?" Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, it is. A lot. But that's just what I'm used to. I don't know. I don't think I'd want it any other way," Greer replied. Cole nodded in acceptance of his answer. Part of him questioned how fast they were taking this relationship. For some reason, he felt like he was already moving in with her and it was a scary thought. He really liked her, but still. It was a big step. And a scary one at that. At least going to the party tonight would remind him of being a kid… right?

* * *

><p>Renee had been fluttering from groups of people the entire party. She had made sure to say hit to the majority of her friends before settling down and finding John. John was with a group of guy friends with a couple of girls in the mix. Tom's girlfriend, Sarah was hanging all over him, while Jamie and Dani were in the group as well. Since when did Jamie hang out with John's friends? She was always at the front of a group of cheerleaders, but now… Renee shook the thought from her head. She knew she had nothing to worry about.<p>

"Hey," she said, coming over to him.

"You okay?" John asked, leaning over toward Renee.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why?" Renee asked.

"Just asking. You're quite the social butterfly tonight," he replied.

"Only to the sober ones," Renee joked.

"You see Cole and Greer yet?" John asked.

"Yeah, earlier, but I said that I'd go back. Greer said she had to ask me something. I'll be back," Renee replied. She pulled away from him before beginning to search the busy house. Okay, so Greer didn't actually have to ask her anything, but she didn't want to be around John's fratty, sports-playing friends and their clingy, or just downright stuck up girlfriends. She knew most of them were intoxicated by now and didn't like them when they were sober either.

"Hey, thank God you're here. I don't know how much longer I can stand being around people like this. I mean, I'm all for a party but I forgot how lame high school parties get. Loaded horny high school boys? No thank you," Greer said, causing Renee to turn around.

"I know, right? I'm glad I'm not the only one feelings this way…" Renee agreed.

"I don't know. You looked like you were working the room earlier," Greer pointed out.

Renee shrugged, "Not really…"

"Hey, you may not think it, but you are kind of miss popular," Greer said.

"What?" Renee exclaimed.

"You're friends with everybody! And I don't think I've ever heard anyone say something mean about you," Greer explained.

"Ah, well, if it were up to me, I would've had a nice, quiet night in instead of being 'miss popular'," Renee replied. "See, I'm quite antisocial."

"This was John's idea?" Greer asked.

"Yeah," Renee answered.

"Weird. I don't know why, but Cole was so insistent on coming tonight," Greer said.

"Him too? So was John," Renee said back. "That is weird."

"Yeah. I'm sure they have their reasons," Greer said. "Anyways, we should be heading back soon. Sorry to leave you like this."

"No, it's fine. I may actually leave a little early and wait for him at home," Renee said.

"You guys didn't come together?" Greer questioned.

Renee shook her head, "Nope. I talked to him before and said that it was possible that I'd leave early so we agreed to take separate cars and just meet here and then meet back at my house when the night was over."

"Renee Walsh, you saucy minx! You've got the house to yourself all weekend…. Don't tell me you're planning on seducing John tonight," Greer teased, playfully.

"That's exactly what I plan on doing tonight," Renee replied.

"Well, look at you. Again, never expected this from you," Greer said.

"Why does everyone seem so surprised?" Renee asked, lightheartedly.

"Because you're sweet. Like Cole and he was a virgin. That is, until I got my hands on him… literally," Greer smirked. Renee laughed. And right on cue, Cole came over.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Cole asked, coming up behind Greer and wrapping an arm around her waist. She shot a look at

"That's my cue to leave," Greer said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she began to walk out with Cole. Renee just laughed before going back into the living room where she last saw John. She saw him still talking with his friends, a cup of beer in his hands and walked over to him. As soon as John saw her, he smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" John asked. "Sorry, guys. One second." John pulled away from the group of friends he was talking to, to speak to Renee alone.

"I'm probably going to head out now. I'll see you later?" Renee started.

"Already?" John asked.

Renee nodded, "Yeah. I should get home. I thought I'd make some dinner for us."

"Aw, babe, you don't have to," John started.

"No, no, no. It's all a part of my plan for tonight," Renee replied, biting her lip.

"Plan?" John smirked.

"Mhm. Don't be too long, okay?" Renee asked, leaving John hanging. She knew it'd get him home sooner if she did.

"Y-yeah," John stammered, his mind too distracted with trying to figure out what she was planning… and imagining the possibilities. Renee kissed him once, shortly, before turning around and leaving the party.

John remained standing there. Damn, he wanted to chase after her and just leave with her right then, but then again she had a plan… and he didn't want to ruin that surprise, right?

Renee grabbed her coat and hurried down the steps and out of the door. There were two girls passing by her as she was on her way out, and she couldn't help listening to what they were saying.

"Yeah, good for Jamie. She told me she's making her move tonight," the girl said.

"Oh my God, what?" the other asked back, in surprise.

"Yeah, she invited John to the party so that she could get him back. And he showed up. He must still want her," the first girl said, before the exchanged a giggle, not even bothering to look at Renee. With these words, Renee felt her heart drop. Was that why John was so insistent on coming to the party? She shook her head, not even knowing what to think, and hurried to her car.

John stayed for an hour longer, before heading to the bedroom upstairs where everyone had put their coats. He was wary about going up there due to the fact that he thought people might be in that room doing God knows what. He opened the door and flicked on the light, surprised to see no one there.

"Huh," he sounded before walking over the bed and sorting through the coats to find his leather jacket.

"Looking for something?" he heard a voice ask. He turned around to see Jamie in the doorway, leaning up against the door frame.

"Nope. Found it!" he said, holding up his jacket.

"Look, can we talk?" she asked.

"About what?" John asked back, playing dumb.

"About us," Jamie answered.

"Us?" John asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm glad we could make peace. You know, be friends. I'd hate to graduate with you mad at me. You're so hot," she smirked, making a move on him.

"Woah! Jamie, what the hell are you doing?" John exclaimed, pushing her off of him.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"I have a girlfriend," he demanded.

"So? Everyone knows that you can't keep a girlfriend, John. Hell, if I couldn't be your girlfriend, there's no way you could stick to someone else. You're not a one woman guy, John. Let's just face it," she said, moving towards him again.

"Jamie, stop it. You're drunk-," John started.

"I'm not drunk, John. I know what I want," she said, biting her lip.

"I can't," John said, moving halfway across the room to get away from her.

Jamie pouted, "You came to the party. I asked you to and you came. You still have feelings for me. Admit it."

"I didn't come to this party for you," John said, marching towards the door, careful to avoid her. By now, Jamie had gotten the message. She just stood there, a hurt look in her eyes. John felt bad, but he really couldn't console her. She'd get the wrong idea, and besides, he had told her 'no' multiple times.

"Why her? Just tell me that," Jamie asked, defeated.

"I love her. I'm in love with her," John replied, before finally leaving.

* * *

><p>The door opened and John smiled, seeing Renee standing in the door way. She stepped aside to let him in, closing the door behind him.<p>

"Hey," he said, leaning in to kiss her once.

"Hi," she said back. Renee stood there nervously. John noticed this and stopped too. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," John replied.

Renee took a deep breath before asking the question, "Why did we go to this party tonight?"

"What do you mean?" John asked, confused.

"I mean… why did we go? You seemed like you really wanted to. So why?" Renee asked.

"Wait, are you asking me why I wanted to go to a party? A party's a party, Renee. Because it's New Year's Eve and I figured it'd be fun," John replied.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Renee asked. She honestly didn't care how bad it was. She just wanted him to be honest with her. They could fix things from there but if he lied to her? She wasn't quite sure what to do with that.

"Wh-, yeah!" John replied.

"So… it had nothing to do with Jamie inviting you to the party, right?" Renee asked.

"What? Who- who said that?" John asked.

"I heard some people talking about. They were saying that Jamie was planning on getting you back and asked you to come to the party," Renee replied.

"I mean, yeah. She invited me but I didn't go because of her!" John protested.

"What? You didn't think that after the locker thing and what she said to me that showing up wouldn't be sending her the wrong message?" Renee asked. John stood there in silence.

"Well, I thought about it-," he started.

"Well do you?" Renee asked.

"Do I what?" John asked.

"Do you still have feelings-," Renee started.

"How can you even ask me that?" John exclaimed.

"Wh-, how can I even ask you that? John, you showed up at a-," Renee began.

"I'm with you. I love you, Renee. Do you know how hard that is for me to say? This is- you're my… first real relationship I've ever had. I'm not usually, I don't do this whole dating thing but I am because I love you," John said in disbelief that Renee even doubted the way he felt about her. "You know what, if you don't feel the same-."

"John, don't be stupid!" Renee sighed.

"What so now I'm stupid? First I'm a cheater and now-," he started.

"You have a track record. Like you said. You've never been a one woman guy," Renee snapped.

"What? You think I'm going to cheat on you?" John asked.

"John, I don't want to do this right now. Just get out," Renee huffed, walking away.

"If I'm so horrible, why are you with me then?" John demanded.

"Because!" Renee shouted back at him. "John, I'm not in the mood to do this."

"No, I asked you a question. Do you really think I'd cheat on you?" he asked.

"Leave! Just go!" she exclaimed.

"No!"

"John!"

"I'm not leaving you!" John finally yelled. Renee turned away, rolling her eyes and sighing. She ran her hand through her hair and when she returned to John, they both knew that there was no way he'd be leaving. She charged towards him, as he pulled her in his arms and she kissed him passionately. He kissed her back, equally passionate, as they clumsily tumbled over towards the living room couch.

* * *

><p>Downtown, the Gallagher family and the majority of the Winchesters were gathered for the New Year's event, where the city had their equivalent to the Times Square dropping of the ball at midnight. It was getting close to midnight, and Flynn and some of his friends had showed up thirty minutes ago.<p>

Victoria glanced over at her brother who was talking to Tyler which was such a weird site. She only hoped her brother wouldn't scare Tyler off.

"Oh and by the way, when midnight hits, I'd go with minimum PDA so our dad doesn't flip," Jude advised. Victoria laughed, rolling her eyes playfully.

"I picked a good one, huh?" Anna asked, jokingly, leaning over to Victoria.

"Oh, yes. By the way, I'm glad you decided to come home with Jude. He really cares about you, you know?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah?" Anna asked back.

"Yeah," Victoria answered.

"I should probably relieve your boyfriend though. I'll go get Jude," Anna said.

"Thank you," Victoria sighed with relief.

"Hey," Haley said, as soon as Anna left. Haley stood there, and Victoria noticed the glance she threw over to Owen.

"What was that?" Victoria asked.

"What?" Haley asked.

"Nothing. What's going on with you and Owen these days?" Victoria asked, not so subtly.

"I don't know. After the masquerade, we've just been hanging out. Friends, you know?" Haley asked back.

"What and it's been two months and you still haven't said anything?" Victoria asked.

"Victoria!" Haley exclaimed.

"What? It's obvious that you two are into each other," Victoria replied. Haley just shrugged, glancing over at Owen again.

"Go," Victoria said.

"What?" Haley asked, turning to her cousin.

"Owen. You've been making eyes at him since he got there. Now go," Victoria encouraged.

"10 seconds, kiddos. Get ready for the new year," Jude said, interrupting their conversation.

"Really?" Haley asked.

"Yes. Now go!" Victoria encouraged, gently pushing her cousin in the direction of Owen.

"Hey, you," Tyler said, coming up behind Victoria and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Hey," she smiled, turning around to look at him.

"5, 4, 3…" everyone began to chant. Victoria watched as her cousin tapped Owen on the shoulder as Owen turned around to look at her.

"2, 1!" To both Victoria and Haley's surprise, Owen leaned down and kissed her right as the clock struck midnight.

"Happy New Year," Tyler said. Victoria smiled, kissing him lightly.

"Don't worry. I heard my brother's PDA note," she said. Tyler laughed.

"Your brother's a character," Tyler said.

"Oh, I know," she chuckled.

* * *

><p>"Happy New Year," Renee said, giddily. She and John had moved to her bedroom earlier on and were tangled up in the sheets of her bed.<p>

"Happy New Year to you too," John smirked. "Wow."

"Yeah… why did we wait that long?" Renee asked in disbelief.

"I don't know… we were over thinking it. Trying to take things slowly," John answered.

"Yeah, I never want to do that again," she said, laughing. She groaned. "I can't believe we had fight sex before we had real sex."

"I think that counts as real sex," John smirked. She laughed, seeing that handsome smirk on his face. "I don't even know what we were fighting about. Petty things…"

"Yeah, petty things. Jamie… and my trust issues…" Renee sighed.

"I'm sorry," John said. "If I ever made you doubt me – I'm sorry."

"No, it's not you. It's… it's just Jamie. I know she's going after you and it's just… scary because I know you've never really done this whole relationship thing before. I'm afraid of losing you, John, because I've never felt this way about anyone before," Renee said.

"You won't lose me. Look, I don't want to worry you, but she came on to me, earlier, at the party. Nothing happened and I think she got the message this time that she needs to leave me alone," John said back.

"What'd you say to her?" Renee asked, curiously.

"I told her that I love you," John replied simply.

Renee nodded, "Yep, that'll really throw a slut off your trail."

"Renee!" John exclaimed, amused.

"What? She's slutty!" Renee protested, playfully.

John just chuckled, "Come here." Renee curled up to him and they just lay there together. "You're right. She is."

"I told you so," Renee said playfully, rubbing it in.

"Yeah, whatever," John replied, rolling his eyes jokingly. She giggled before kissing him once more.


	33. A Southern Gentleman

Author's Note: A long overdue Haley chapter! Let me know what you think. I really want to explore her character more (especially in the sequel - also, thoughts on a sequel, because I really want one!) so I felt like I'd do a chapter about her this go round.

* * *

><p>School was back in session and their second week back was coming to an end. It was Thursday night, and Owen and Haley had gone on yet another date. They had been spending a lot more time together ever since their New Year's Eve kiss, and had decided to be "official."<p>

"Tonight was great. We should do this again some time," Owen said in between kisses.

"I had a lot of fun," Haley replied.

"Me too," Owen said, before pecking her on the lips once more.

"I should probably get going. My dad's probably in there freaking out," Haley replied. And right on cue, there was a honk as a car pulled into the driveway.

"That's my brother. I'll see you tomorrow at school, Haley," Owen said, shooting her a small smile.

"You too," she replied, as she watched him go. Once Owen was in the car, Haley went back into the house and stopped as soon as she saw her dad in the kitchen. Sam turned around to find his daughter looking at him with an amuse smile on her face.

"What?" he asked, innocently.

"Doing the whole 'pretend I'm looking in the fridge while I'm really listening in on my daughter's conversations' thing?" Haley asked, suspiciously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sam replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"From your… observations – yes, that's what we'll call them, what do you think of him so far?" Haley asked, ignoring his response.

Sam shrugged, "I don't know. There have been observations."

"Uh huh," Haley sounded, unconvinced. She gave her dad the opportunity to own up to it, and he hadn't say anything yet. She nodded, accepting the fact that he wouldn't. "Alright, well, glad we had this talk, Dad. I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower."

"Okay," Sam said. Haley began to walk away before she heard her dad say something. "Oh, and by the way, I forgot to tell you. You should probably let Owen know that if he's going to kiss you on the porch for 6 minutes and 23 seconds, I should probably meet him." Busted. While Haley wanted to revel in the 'I told you so, you were spying on me' moment, her dad's request threw her way off guard.

"What?" Haley gaped.

"Yeah, if he's your… boyfriend, I'm going to need to meet him," Sam said, bluntly.

"But Dad, you've already met him! I went to the masquerade with him and we hung out before that," Haley said, hoping that her excuse would work.

Sam shook his head, "Yeah, but not as your boyfriend. Kiddo, that's the price you pay if you want to date in this house."

"Wh-," Haley struggled for words but nothing came out.

"Tomorrow night. Six o' clock. He can come over for dinner," Sam said. He opened up the refrigerator door again. "Hm… how about a sandwich?" He shot Haley a 'I won' smile and she frowned.

"I'm fine, thanks. I'm going to go take that shower now," Haley huffed, before hurrying upstairs. She saw Cole coming down the hall and wasn't in the mood to deal with him teasing her about her date right now. She pushed passed him, walking at a quick pace.

"What's up with you?" Cole asked, shooting his sister a weird look. She frowned, proceeding to walk. "Woah, is this some kind of weird female time of the month thing?"

"Just because you're 100% okay with your girlfriend meeting your family and being with us all the time doesn't mean I am," Haley said.

Cole began to laugh, "Dad wants you to bring Owen over, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Haley sighed.

"Look, it worked out for me. Our family didn't scare Greer off. Hell, she loves our family," Cole said.

"That's true…" Haley trailed off.

"So relax. Invite him over, see what he says. Mom and Dad aren't ones to scare him off. Think about it this way. It could be worse. You could have Uncle Dean as a dad," Cole joked.

Haley laughed, "Yeah, Victoria told me all about the Tyler drama."

"Exactly. Don't worry, kid. And if anything happens, I've got your back," Cole assured, ruffling Haley's hair.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, swatting his hand away. "And don't call me 'kid'. You're only two years older than me."

"I'm still older," Cole shrugged.

Haley frowned, "Yeah, whatever. It's not that much of an age difference!"

"Uh huh," Cole sounded, before proceeding to walk down the hall. Haley just rolled her eyes, not bothering to stifle a laugh, and went the other way to her room.

* * *

><p>Haley slammed her locker shut and pressed her book to her arm.<p>

"What's with you today, fidgety?" Victoria asked.

"My dad wants to meet Owen," Haley confessed.

Victoria raised her eyebrows, "What?"

"Yeah. Should I… should I be nervous? I don't know. They were fine with Greer and Cole. And Dad… he does want to meet him and-," Haley rambled.

"No. Your dad, lucky for you, is nothing like mine. Have you even asked him yet?" Victoria asked.

"No," Haley replied. "And that's the other thing I'm nervous about. What if he says no?"

"Then he says no," Victoria replied.

"Not helping," Haley frowned.

"I mean, that's the worst he can do, right? Besides, Owen really likes you. I'd be surprised if he said no," Victoria replied.

"Thanks… I guess…" Haley trailed off.

"I don't mean to make things about me, but at least your boyfriend isn't taking your dad's class," Victoria said.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. How is that going?" Haley asked, remembering that Tyler was taking auto shop this semester.

"Not bad, actually. It's… uncomfortable – the idea that my dad and my boyfriend spend time together without me there to intervene – but it's actually awful. I think dad is really starting to like Tyler. They like the same music and apparently Tyler's doing pretty well in the class, which are both big ins with Dad," Victoria replied.

"Huh," Haley said. "Oh, shoot, there's Owen. What do I do?"

"Go talk to him, silly!" Victoria exclaimed, laughing a little.

"Wish me luck?"

"Good luck. Now go."

Haley looked back once more at her cousin before cautiously approaching Owen on the other side of the hall. Owen was getting things out of locker as Haley approached him, "Hey."

"Hey," Owen smiled.

"So… I have… a favor to ask of you," Haley started. Owen raised an eyebrow.

"As long as it doesn't include anything illegal, I'm listening," he joked.

Haley smiled. Oh, good. He was going to make this easy. She forgot how relaxed he was and she knew that this was going to be okay.

"After last night, my dad said something to me. He… kind of wants to meet you and by kind I mean it's not really an option. He wants you to come over for dinner tonight," Haley said.

"Huh," Owen said.

"Yeah. Look, if it's too fast-," Haley started.

"No, no! I'd love to finally see the inside of your house," Owen joked.

She smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever actually seen it. I have, however, become very well acquainted with your porch," he said.

"Yeah, okay, okay. So you'll do it?" she asked.

"Yeah, what time?" Owen asked back.

"Six," Haley replied.

"Great. We should get to class though. We're gonna be late," he asked her.

"Mkay," she smiled. Haley walked alongside Owen as they went to class. By now, she was wondering why she ever stressed out about it in the first place.

* * *

><p>During lunch, Meredith was still in her classroom, catching up on some grading that she had let fall behind. There was a knock on her door, even though the door was open. She looked up and smiled, seeing Dean.<p>

"Hey."

"Hey, I didn't see you at lunch."

"Yeah, I'm behind on some grading."

Dean walked over to Meredith's desk, sliding his hand across the edge, smirking, "Boy have we made memories on this desk."

Meredith tried to fight the smile playing on her face. She bit her lip looking up at him, "So that's what you came here for?"

"No, no. I'm just saying. I remember the summer before Jude turned one, you were cleaning out your classroom, and Molly was babysitting Jude, I came here and surprised you and-," Dean started.

"That was the beginning of the Dean-Meredith desk adventures," Meredith completed.

"Uh huh," he smirked.

Meredith and Dean shared a look, before Meredith sighed, "Dean, not now."

"Hey, do you still keep that desk. You know, the one we carved our initials into?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, it's right over-," Meredith started, interrupted as she stood up, beginning to walk towards the desk, when Dean stopped her, pulling her into him.

"Should I come back later or-," a voice said, as Meredith and Dean sprang apart.

"Sam! Hi. No, no, Dean was just leaving," Meredith said.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Yep," she said to Sam. "Bye, honey. I'll see you at home." She rushed Dean out of the classroom and Sam just stood there, laughing. "Sorry about that. What's going on?"

"Can I ask you for some advice?" Sam asked. Meredith pointed to herself, questioningly.

"Yeah, Dean… is not the person to go to for advice like this," Sam replied, causing Meredith to wonder what he was talking about.

"Sure, what is it?" Meredith asked back, curiously.

"Haley's boyfriend is coming over for dinner tonight," Sam started.

"Ah," Meredith said, completely understanding now. "First thing, don't freak out like Dean. Don't make him feel uncomfortable, or grill him with questions. You won't get to know him as well if you scare the hell out of him."

"Yeah, but… you're a teacher here. Is he at least a good kid?" Sam asked, nervously.

"Sam," Meredith said.

"What?" Sam asked, jumpy.

"Deep breath. Yes, Owen is a good kid. He's a little bit of a class clown from what I've heard, and he's definitely a gentleman. I've seen them together. He's good to her," Meredith assured.

"Oh good. That's… good. You know what? Tonight is going to be… good," Sam said, unable to find any other words.

Meredith chuckled, "I know you're nervous, since she's your daughter. Believe me. When your son starts dating, you know, it's a big step, but your daughter. That's an even bigger one." Sam nodded. "It had to happen sometime, right?"

Sam laughed, "Thank you. I knew I couldn't ask Dean seeing as he thinks any teenage boy is-."

"The devil's spawn?"

"Yes," Sam laughed again.

"Well, it's no problem," Meredith said.

"Alright, I've got to get back to work, but again thanks," Sam said.

"Bye, Sam. Good luck!" she called after him.

* * *

><p>"You play football right?" Sawyer asked.<p>

"Yes, ma'am," Owen replied.

"So you must know Flynn," Sam replied.

"Yes, sir," Owen replied. "He's a good friend of mine, actually."

"Ah," Sawyer said, nodding.

Haley looked over at Owen, smiling a little. She found it funny that he was on his best behavior like this. She only saw him like this when he was with teachers and even in school, he was known as a class clown - a polite class clown, of course.

"So Owen, what're you thinking about doing after high school?" Sam asked, in the middle of dinner that night. Dinner had gone well so far and Haley was practically holding her breath and praying that nothing bad happened.

"Go to college. Isn't that what everyone does anyways?" Owen asked back.

_Not everyone_, Sam thought to himself. With this whole Haley getting a boyfriend business, he started to really think about how much their lives had changed. Before, the words 'Winchester' and 'normal' were never paired together. Sure, they weren't 100% out of the life, but they were as out as any hunter had ever been able to get.

"Any idea where you want to go?" Sam asked, curiously.

"Honey, he's a freshman. He probably hasn't even thought about it yet," Sawyer interjected.

"Well, my parents really want me to go to Ole Miss. It's kind of the alma matter," Owen answered.

"Ah, a Southern gentleman," Sawyer joked.

"And that would explain all the ma'am and sir stuff," Sam added. Of course he was always taught to be polite, but with Owen, everything was 'yes, ma'am' and 'no, sir'. Now it all clicked.

Owen chuckled, nodding, "That's the way my parents raised me to be."

"See? You had nothing to worry about," Sawyer said, glancing over at her husband.

"I'm a father. I have to worry a little bit, right?" Sam asked back.

"Yes, and that's why I love you," Sawyer replied, shooting him a smile. Sam smiled back and Haley and Cole exchanged glances with Jackson as he pretended the throw up.

"Mom and Dad get so mushy sometimes," Jackson said to Owen, shaking his head.

"Jackson Winchester!" Sawyer exclaimed.

"What? It's true! If he's going to date Haley, he might as well be warned," Jackson shrugged. Sawyer and Sam exchanged glances, before laughing while Cole and Haley rolled their eyes playfully.

"Jackson likes to tell it like it is," Cole informed.

"It runs in the family," Haley bragged, playfully.

"So I've noticed. That's actually how we met, right?" Owen said, glancing over at Haley.

"Oh yeah. I never got to hear that story. Haley, do tell. I need to know how you met the guy that's been taking up all of our precious daddy-daughter time," Sam teased.

"Dad," Haley groaned.

"Sorry, sir," Owen said.

"Please. Call me Sam," Sam requested.

"Oh, okay," Owen said, shyly. Haley bit her lip, glancing over at her boyfriend. This whole polite, Southern gentleman thing was a total turn on.

"It was the first football game of the season and Jackson and I were getting drinks," Haley started. "And Jackson was so adamant about returning to the game so that we wouldn't miss anything and I asked him why because, no offense, Cole, but I said that team wasn't that great."

"None taken, but you're so wrong about that," Cole said back.

"Thank you!" Owen sighed with relief. Haley just rolled her eyes playfully, although it was nice to see her brother and her boyfriend bonding.

"Anyways, little did I know that Owen was right in front of me in line for drinks," Haley continued.

"I turned around and called her out on it. Then uh… challenged her to a little football trivia," Owen added.

"Let me guess? She kicked your butt?" Sawyer asked.

"Yep," Owen sighed in defeat. They all laughed.

"I've trained my daughter well," Sam said.

Owen laughed, "Indeed. She definitely schooled me on that one"

"And then we went back to our seats, and I knew that he liked her," Jackson bragged.

Haley laughed, "You did say something…"

"Was I that obvious?" Owen exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"No," Haley comforted.

"Yes!" Jackson interrupted.

"Okay, whoever's playing footsie with me, please stop!" Cole exclaimed. Haley and Owen exchanged awkward smiles before laughing. Cole frowned and Jackson sniggered in the background.

The rest of dinner went exceptionally well, and now, Haley and Owen were just saying goodbye.

"So I think my family really liked you," Haley started.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Yeah," Haley replied. Just then, a car pulled into the driveway and Owen frowned.

"There's my mom. Tonight was fun though. Would it be weird if I said we should do it again sometime?" Owen asked.

Haley smiled shaking her head, "Nope. I'm glad you like them."

"There's just this unignorable charm about you Winchesters…" Owen teased.

"We Winchesters are very seductive," Haley said.

"So I've noticed," Owen smiled.

"Alright, you should go if your mom is waiting," Haley said.

"Yeah," Owen sighed. "Goodnight, Haley Winchester."

"Goodnight," Haley said, before kissing him once and letting him go. Haley stood there and watched as Owen left before going back into the house. When she got back into the house, she spotted her dad in the kitchen, once again, looking in the fridge.

"Dad, I'm not falling for it this time," she called out.

"No, I really am putting leftovers away. See?" Sam asked, holding up a container

She sighed, "So… verdict?"

"I like him," Sam admitted, causing a wide grin to spread across Haley's face as she walked into the kitchen.

"You do?" Haley asked, hopping up on the counter of the kitchen right next to the sink.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "He seems nice. Not the way Dean makes high school boys sound… at all."

"Yes, well Uncle Dean…" Haley trailed off trying to find the right words. Instead, she and her father just exchanged smiles before laughing. "Thank you, Daddy. I really like him so it's important to me that you like him too."

He nodded, "I know, sweet heart."

"Alright, well now that we've gotten the first 'meet the boyfriend' dinner out of the way and it was successful, I'm going to go to bed," Haley said.

"Okay. Goodnight," Sam said.

"Night, Dad," she said, hopping off of the counter, kissing him on the cheek, and heading upstairs. Sam chuckled, watching his daughter go. She really was all grown up now.


	34. Something Big

Author's Note: Not gonna lie. I'm really excited for this chapter and jump start all the demon drama. Thank you to Deangirl93 and MissECharlotte for being the only ones to review the last chapter! Happy reading!

* * *

><p><em>Meredith could feel the lush, green grass under her bare feet as she walked along in the park with her mother.<em>

_"Something big is coming, Mer," her mother said._

_"Okay… you've said that before. But what does that mean, Mom?" Meredith asked, frustrated._

_"Well, I can't give you all the answers, now can I?" Her mother asked back, wittily._

_"Mom," Meredith groaned._

_"You're a smart girl, sweetie. You'll figure it out," her mother replied, contently._

_"Figure what out?" Meredith asked, but when she looked to her mom, her mother was gone._

And the next thing she knew, she was no longer in the park, but was in her own bed, in her dark bedroom that she shared with her husband. She glanced over at the clock and saw that it was well past 9 am and her husband was gone. Meredith groaned, before dragging herself out of bed, putting on a bathrobe, and heading out to the kitchen where she smelled breakfast already.

She was getting really tired of these dreams. Her mother was always coming to warn her about something – something big – whatever the hell that meant, but she never gave any real answers! How the hell was she supposed to prepare for whatever it was, if she had no idea what it was? Then again, that's what her mom was warning her about. Her mom wanted her to find out what it was so they could prepare. She just wished that her mom wasn't so cryptic and ambiguous about it.

"Morning," Meredith said, going into the kitchen.

"Hey, you look like hell," Dean said.

She glared her husband, and grumbled sarcastically, "Thanks, Dean."

"Wh- I mean, that's- that's not what I meant, honey. You look beautiful, as always. It's just… did you get any sleep last night?" Dean asked.

Meredith paused, thinking it over. Whenever she had these dreams, she always felt like she had stayed up all night the next day. Maybe it was time to talk to Dean about the dreams. Then again, she didn't want to worry him, especially because he was the king of worryland.

"Mhm. Yeah. I uh, I don't know. I didn't sleep well I guess," Meredith said.

"Oh. Well if you want to go back to bed-," Dean started.

Meredith shook her head, "Uh uh. It's John's birthday and we promised him chocolate chip pancakes."

"You sure… you're okay, babe?" Dean asked, concerned, as he examined his wife's face. She looked exhausted and worried about something. He just didn't know what, which made him nervous. Was there something she wasn't telling him?

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just need some good morning coffee, you know?" Meredith asked, trying to mask what she was thinking about.

"Sure," Dean replied, half convinced. He went over to the coffee pot, grabbed a coffee mug, and poured her a cup of coffee. "Here." He handed it to her, and she took it, smiling weakly.

"Thanks," Meredith said, taking a big gulp of the coffee, waking her up.

"How about we start on some breakfast, huh?" she asked, putting on her best happy face.

Upstairs, Flynn and Victoria were already up and about. Since it was a special occasion, Flynn knew he'd be the go-to photographer. And he had already begun.

"Come on," he whispered to Victoria, grinning mischievously at her. She returned the same grin before they tiptoed into John's room, quietly, trying not to wake him up.

"Aw, he looks like an angel sleeping," Flynn teased.

"You're such a doof," Victoria whispered back, rolling her eyes. Flynn bent down, taking a picture of John sleeping, as the flash went off.

"What the hell?" John yelled waking up.

"Happy birthday!" Victoria and Flynn cheered together.

"What the hell, man? Did you just take a picture of me sleeping?" John groaned.

Flynn and Victoria exchanged glances and sniggered, "Blackmail."

John frowned, "Alright, alright. I'm getting up. Hey, do I smell chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Don't we always have them on your birthday?" Victoria asked back.

"Sweet!" John said, hopping out of bed and going to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

While the rest of the family waited for John to come downstairs, they were busy in the kitchen setting up and cooking. Victoria and Flynn were setting the table while Meredith was finishing the pancakes and Dean was making some bacon.

"I'm going to go get the paper," Victoria said, before excusing herself from the room.

"Need help with anything else?" Flynn asked.

"Nope. We're almost done here," Meredith replied.

"Okay," Flynn replied, picking up his camera and going over to the door that led from the kitchen to the backyard. He started taking a few shots before knowing that his parents weren't paying attention. He knew that the best photos of them were always candid. He got a picture of his mother taking the pancake plate over to the table and when returning, accidentally running into Dean. He took another picture of the aftermath of his father kissing his mother on the forehead, the shared glance.

"Bacon, sweet!" John exclaimed, interrupting Flynn's photography.

"Be careful. It's-," Dean started.

He went over to the kitchen, picking it up from the skillet and almost instantly dropping it.

"Hot." Dean completed.

"Right," John said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I knew that."

"Happy birthday, sweetheart. The big 18. Oh God… what am I going to do with you now?" Meredith asked, hugging her son.

"Happy birthday, kiddo," Dean said. "You may now be tried in court, buy cigarettes – which you better not do."

"You can own a pet monkey," Flynn chimed in.

"You can vote!" Meredith suggested.

"You can also buy porn legally," Dean added. Meredith glared at him. "Just kidding. Don't do that…."

"You can also be accused of statutory rape, so remember to think with your upstairs brain and stop listening to… little John all the time," Victoria replied, coming back into the room.

"What? Little? I resent that," John protested. Victoria shrugged carelessly, while Meredith, Dean, and Flynn all just laughed. "I have a girlfriend, Victoria. Geez, chill."

"Alright, how about we all focus on celebrating John's birthday instead of insulting him," Meredith said, rounding up the troops. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Can we all just sit down to a nice, normal breakfast?"

"Mom, the words 'nice' and 'normal' have never in a million years been paired with the word 'Winchester'," Flynn pointed out.

"I know," Meredith sighed in defeat as the rest of the family laughed at Flynn's little remark.

* * *

><p>"Dude, you're eighteen now. You better tell me you've got some wild plans tonight," Jude said, as he talked to his brother on the phone.<p>

"Unless you call dinner with the whole family 'wild', then no," John answered with a chuckle.

"What? Are you becoming boring on me? Dude, if I were there and we weren't taken men, I'd take you out to a bar in an instant," Jude replied.

"Jude, I'm not twenty one yet," John reminded.

"Congratulations, Mr. Scott Young. You are officially twenty one years old today," Jude said, a cheeky mischievous tone in his voice.

"Dude, no way!" John exclaimed.

"Yep, fake ID. This one's fool proof too unlike your last one. It's on its way in the mail and don't let mom and dad find it. You know mom will throw it out and you don't want to know how hard I worked to get you this one," Jude replied.

"Hard drugs?" John asked.

"Yep. You've got to be a coke head to get in with the real fake ID makers," Jude joked back.

"Wow, you're going to make a really great doctor someday," John said sarcastically.

Jude laughed, "Alright, well I've got to go. I'm supposed to meet Anna. I'm going over to her apartment for dinner so you know what that means."

"What? It's my birthday and you're getting some? How is that fair?" John exclaimed.

"I'm the better looking brother," Jude shrugged.

"Shut up," John growled.

"But anyways, I just wanted to say happy birthday, man. You're eighteen now so… don't get too reckless, okay?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, see you. Thanks, man," John said with a chuckle.

"No problem," Jude replied.

"Bye," John said, before hanging up.

After Jude's conversation with his little brother, he put his phone back into his pocket and headed over to Anna's apartment. It wasn't too far from his, so he decided to walk over there. Jude took the stairs, since he was only on the third floor. When he was on the second flight of stairs, he stopped when he heard a noise. It sounded like something was following him. He looked behind him, seeing nothing before continuing to walk down the stairs.

There it was again. That weird echo: not the echo that came from your own footsteps but the echo of someone behind you that wasn't quite matching your stride. Jude stopped again, pausing to turn around and look, but there was no one – or nothing – there. He reached into his pocket, his hand gripping his knife tightly as he opened the door to the stairwell that led to the outside, and headed out, making sure the door had closed before anyone, or anything, could get out of it.

As soon as Jude felt like he was safe again, he heard footsteps. He spotted an alleyway and knew that if something was following him, it'd reveal itself there. He looked before crossing the street and then headed towards the alley, his hands on the pocket knife. As soon as he was close to the ending of the alley, Jude whipped around quickly, before pinning the creature that had been following him all this time, running it straight into the wall.

"You know, I thought you'd be rusty by now, Winchester. You've been playing doctor all this time. Who knew you still had it in you?" the woman said, her eyes flashing black and then back to normal pigmentation.

"What do you want?" Jude growled, pressing the knife into the demon just enough to draw blood. The demon laughed.

"I guess you are rusty on the facts. That thing can't kill me," the demon sneered.

"I asked you a question!" Jude demanded.

The demon laughed a cold, cruel laugh, "What all the demons want. Winchester blood. There's a big battle coming and the first wants Winchester blood. You Winchesters killed the most of us out there, and we want our revenge."

"Yeah, well, it's not going to happen. You sons of bitches are on a suicide mission you know that?" Jude spat.

"Cocky… just like your arrogant, self loathing, selfish father of yours," the demon taunted. That was it was for Jude. He swung a punch at the demon, causing her to recoil, holding her face.

"You really going to hit a lady?" she smirked.

"You're not a lady. You're a monster," he said, strongly.

"Ouch. And I thought we could be friends," she said sarcastically. Her eyes went black again and she lunged at Jude. Jude took the punch but pushed through it and began to block her attacks, shoving her against the opposite wall, right next to the dumpster.

"You like it rough? Me too, baby," she smirked. Jude ignored her comment and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that someone had thrown a set of fireplace tools away, lying next to the dumpster. If only he could get to them so that the demon wouldn't kill him first. The demon pushed Jude away, causing him to fall. "See, you are rusty? I guess this will be easy then." She pulled out her knife as Jude crawled on his stomach, reaching for the fireplace tool set. He prayed that they'd be solid iron.

"I don't think I've ever met a Winchester that chose flight over fight. I bet Daddy and Mommy never taught you that. Guess you're as much as a disappointment as they were to their parents," the demon cackled. Jude grabbed the bag, as the demon grabbed his ankle, causing the tools to spill everywhere.

"Let go of me!" Jude yelled. He jerked his ankle back, and managed to get back on his feet, ready for more combat.

"Jude, Jude, Jude. You really think you can take me?" she smiled, grinning.

"Yeah," Jude said, before pushing the demon towards the iron fireplace tools that were scattered, pushing her to the ground and pinning her there, before assembling an iron box shape with the tools.

"If you wanted to be on top, you should've just said something," she smirked.

"I'm not a man of many words," Jude shot back, before quickly getting up and out of the iron box. The demon laughed, starting to stand up before she realized what Jude had done.

"You little-," the demon started, but Jude interrupted her by beginning the exorcism. Thank God his parents had forced him to memorize it. It was always, 'honey, did you finish your English homework?' 'Make sure to clean up your room and make your bed' 'Jude, have you memorized all of the exorcisms?' Strange combination. Yes, he knew.

"No!" the demon screamed, but Jude continued. As he got to the end, the demon was screaming and was being ripped from the host body.

"Wh-, where am I? Who are you?" the girl asked, panicked.

"Let's get you to the hospital," Jude replied, helping her up.

Her eyes widened as she saw him, "You're bleeding. I did this! I- I said horrible things to you!"

Jude shook his head, "It wasn't you. Now come on."

Jude helped the girl out of the alleyway and hailed a cab to the hospital. On the way, he texted Anna, letting her know he probably wouldn't make it and would stop by later. Boy had this night turned out a lot differently than he expected it to.

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear John. Happy birthday to you," all of John's family and friends sang to him.<p>

"Alright, make a wish," Meredith said, cheerfully. John thought about it for a moment before blowing out his candles, causing the whole family to clap and cheer.

"Happy birthday, babe," Renee said in his ear, kissing him on the cheek.

He watched as everyone around, the people that loved him the most, moved about, urging on the birthday celebration. He was so happy in that moment. Everything seemed to be perfect when he heard a scream. From then on, it was like everything was moving in slow motion.

Iz was running from one end of the room to another and his father was yelling. His mother had disappeared into the bedroom on his dad's orders and out of the crowd of Winchesters and Walshes that had all congregated in the living room to celebrate John's birthday, an unfamiliar man emerged.

"You Winchesters make it too easy, sticking together like this. I guess that's what we like about you," the man sneered, his eyes turning black.

Greer froze, realizing her demon killing knife wasn't with her. Cole gave her a questioning look and she shook her head. Apparently he had been thinking of it too.

"John Winchester. It's nice to finally meet. I've been waiting eighteen years," the demon replied.

And before John knew it, the man had Renee in his arms, holding her against him. He pulled out a knife as Ethan yelled and Molly screamed.

"One step and she's dead," the demon swore. He raised the knife to her, and in an instant, the demon collapsed, pushing Renee down before he was dead. John's mother stood above the demon, the bloody knife in her hand. Her and Dean locked eyes and exchanged 'what the hell' glances.

"Renee!" John yelled, rushing to her side. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's just, ow! I think… I think my wrist… it hurts," she said, trying to twist it.

"Here, let me see," John said, reaching out to help her.

"Ah!" she whimpered.

"Renee!" her mother yelled out, rushing over to her side, her father following along.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," John said, holding him to her.

Shortly after, Ethan had immediately taken Renee to the hospital to get her wrist checked out. Meredith had come along with them along with Molly and John.

"John, you're not supposed to be here," Renee said, as John came bursting through the exam room doors. She had just had her wrist wrapped up and wasn't supposed to have anyone in there but her parents.

"I'm sorry, Renee," was all John could say. Renee looked into her boyfriend's eyes and saw how broken he was.

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked.

"It's my fault. It's all my fault," John replied, shaking his head. He was hysterical and there was no way he could calm down.

"What're you talking about, John?" Renee exclaimed, her eyes pleading with him to calm down.

"The demon was here for me. Didn't you hear him? I… you'll have to come with me to center or at least learn basics if we're going to keep doing this. If- if this is going to happen more often, you- you're my weakness Renee. They know you're my weakness. They'll go after you because of me. They did. I.. maybe we shouldn't even do this. Maybe, it'll be better for you because on your boyfriend's birthday, demons won't go after you. Renee, I don't know if it's a good idea if we-," John said, pacing back and forth around the room.

"John, would you just stop it!" Renee demanded. John stopped walking and swallowed hard.

"Renee," John started. "I don't know if this is a good idea anymore. I mean, you and I were both afraid I'd break your heart but I may just get you killed instead and I don't- I can't do that to you."

"Why are you doing this?" she pleaded.

"Because I love you!" he exclaimed. "Because- because I love you and because you're going to get hurt because of me."

Renee had never seen John this vulnerable in all of the eighteen years she had known him. She began to tear up.

"I love you too, John. Please, please don't do this," she begged.

"What am I supposed to do?" John asked, his voice breaking.

Renee shook her head, "Just hold me. Because that's all I want right now." John nodded, before going over to her and holding her. He let her cry on his shoulder. He wanted to be there for her; to be strong for her, but at the moment, all he wanted to do was fall apart.

Outside of the exam room, Ethan, Molly, and Meredith stood in the waiting room. They all just sat in silence, not knowing what to say or even wanting to break the silence that had become almost comfortable ever since Renee went in to be looked at.

"I'm going to get some coffee," Molly finally said, breaking the silence.

"Okay," Ethan replied.

"Anyone want any?" Molly asked.

Meredith just shook her head and Ethan mumbled a 'no' before Molly finally left. Once she was out of earshot Meredith finally said something, her eyes glue to the hospital floor.

"Go ahead. Say it. Say what you've wanted to say this whole time," Meredith said coldly.

"I swear to God if another son of a bitch demon comes near my daughter again- Meredith this, this can't happen again. What's going to happen now? What if they go out and something comes after John? We can't be there to protect them. What am I supposed to do about that?" Ethan exclaimed.

"Ethan," Meredith warned, quietly.

"What the hell even went on back there? Everything's been fine – normal – until today. And then all of a sudden a demon attacks the house in the middle of-. He went after her because she's John's girlfriend. You and Dean… you both said you were each others' weakness. Demons and monsters, they went after both of you because they knew it would get to you. I won't put her in harm's way Meredith. I won't," Ethan declared.

"Ethan," Meredith warned again.

"I'm going to tell her. I'm going to go in there right now and tell the both of them-," Ethan started, his fists balling up.

"Ethan!" Meredith barked, causing Ethan to stop talking and just stand there. "Don't."

"What?" Ethan asked.

"Don't. Don't do this to them. You saw what it did to me," Meredith replied.

"Mer, Renee and John aren't you and Dean," Ethan started.

"But they are!" Meredith interrupted. "How can you not see that? They are in so many ways. John is… John's his father's son. He's my son! If you asked him to, he'd do it. He'd do it in a heartbeat. In fact, I'm about 99.99% sure that he's talking to her about it right now. And I know you find that comforting, but John's not going out on the road for god knows how long. Don't tear them apart because of this."

"Then what am I supposed to do? She's my daughter. I need to protect her," Ethan sighed, trying not to lose it right then and there. In that instant, when the demon had her, he couldn't help but beat himself up for not getting into hunting like Meredith had. His mom had been a hunter. Why shouldn't he learn? But he hadn't and had chosen an extremely normal life. And now he was paying for it.

Meredith nodded, "And we'll make sure of it. We'll be prepared now."

"Mer… what-, I don't even-, I just-," Ethan stammered.

"Yeah, me too," Meredith agreed. Ethan chuckled.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Meredith shook her head, "Don't be."

Back at home, Meredith was cleaning up the mess that the demon had made and was picking up the rest of the stuff from John's way too eventful birthday party.

"Mom?" she heard a voice ask. Meredith turned around and saw John standing there, his eyes bloodshot.

"Oh, honey," she gasped, as soon as she saw him.

"I don't know what to do, Mom," he cried, falling into her arms.

"I know. I know…" she trailed off, just holding him.

* * *

><p>"It's been a long day," Dean groaned, sprawling out on their bed.<p>

Meredith giggled, "Save some room for me, why don't you?"

"I've got a special spot right here for you," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Meredith rolled her eyes playfully, laughing, "Just hold me. I think that's all I need after a day like this."

"Okay," Dean obliged as Meredith crawled into bed with him and lay down on herside. Dean rolled over, spooning her, and rested his head on her shoulder.

Meredith closed her eyes, enjoying the protective feeling of her husband's arms wrapped around her. Right here, she felt invincible.

"Dean," she started.

"Mhm?" Dean asked, sleepily.

"There's something I need to tell you," she started.

"Have you resumed your afternoon delight with the mailman?" Dean asked

Meredith giggled, "No. You're going to have to be serious about this, okay?"

"I am serious," Dean protested.

Meredith hesitated before removing her husband's arms from around her and rolling over so that she was face to face with him, "You know the weird dreams I've been having?"

"Yeah," Dean said.

"They've been about my mom. As in, my mom has been coming to me in these dreams and telling me things. Warning me," Meredith said back.

"Babe, why didn't you tell me about this?" Dean asked

Meredith shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well, what've they been saying?" Dean asked, curiously.

Meredith paused before telling him, "They're usually all the same. Last night we were walking together… she told me that something's coming. Something big is coming."


	35. Because We're Winchesters

**Author's note:**A lighter chapter after the last big one before more drama. Happy reading, all!

* * *

><p><strong>Three Days Earlier<strong>

In the Winchester household, the first room was an open den with lots of windows, overlooking the front porch. It was generally used as a recreation room. Behind that room, separated by a door was another room that Meredith and Dean had converted into an office space. There was a desk, a futon, and a computer and was probably the more isolated room of the house. It was rarely ever used unless someone needed to use a computer, but that was a rare occasion since the family had two laptops shared amongst each other and phones that did all that stuff anyways. Oh technology…

Meredith sat down on the futon, across from the bare wall. She took a sip from her coffee mug and admired the bulletin board hanging on the wall. She had thumb tacked pictures of past victims, other hunters, their killers, and potential enemies for other hunters that she knew were still alive. For those that she knew were facing the same demon problem, they were up there too along with ways to contact them. She had a map right next to the bulletin board with all the places marked that people were being attacked.

After John's birthday and what Jude had told her on the phone the other day, she was determined to figure out who was behind all of this. There was no chance in hell that she'd let a demon tear her family apart.

Not again. Not the way that they took Dean from her when Jude hadn't even been born. Now they had a full family. More people to lose…

_"Stop it, Meredith! That's about the most morbid thing you've ever thought_," she thought to herself, pushing her thoughts of losing her family away.

Just then, there was a knock on the door before it opened and her cheery, blonde best friend was coming into the room.

"Wow, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were a serial killer," Molly said, taking a seat next to Meredith and cocking her head to the side while examining the bulletin board.

"Yeah," Meredith chuckled. "Sometimes, I just need a way to organize it all."

"I see," Molly replied. Meredith raised the coffee mug to her lips but Molly stopped her, taking the coffee mug out of her hands. "Uh uh. Dean told me to cut you off at three."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"And knowing you, missy, you're on your fourth," Molly replied.

"Fifth," I admitted. Molly frowned. "Since when are you and Dean ganging up on me?"

"Since he told me you haven't slept in days," she replied.

"That's a lie!" I protested. "I sleep… just not that much." Ever since Tuesday, she had been obsessed with her project of putting together all of their information. She had called Sam and taken the files and had practically locked herself in the room to work on it. It was a cycle. She got up, she went to school, came home, planned lessons for her classes, and then worked on the information. Dean was beginning to worry especially because she'd come to bed at late hours of the night and he knew she wasn't sleeping well. She'd then insist on getting up early and the cycle would repeat itself.

"Yeah, I bet that coffee isn't helping," Molly pointed out. Meredith reached for her mug but Molly swatted her hand away. "Uh uh. There's no way I'm caving. Actually, I came here to ask you for some advice. I know that sounds crazy, but in my defense, I didn't know you were going all serial killer on me."

Meredith chuckled at her remark, "Okay, what's up?"

"You know how my newest summer line is targeting the younger generation?" Molly asked.

"Mhm," Meredith nodded.

"I talked to my team and we've agreed on using models in the right age group but I don't like any of them! We've seen tons of them and half of them don't look healthy and… they just don't have that thing. Sure, they're all pretty but we need girls with personalities to really sell this line," Molly ranted.

Meredith thought it over, "Okay, so use real girls. Is that… bad?"

Molly gasped, her eyes lighting up, "Oh my God, you're a genius!"

"What? What'd I say?" Meredith asked, confused.

"Use real girls. You're a genius, Mer! Our daughters are perfect for it!" Molly exclaimed.

"Woah, woah, woah. How did we jump from real girls to our daughters?" I asked.

"Oh come on. Renee, Iz, Victoria, and Haley are perfect for it. My kids would love to, Sawyer and Sam will be fine with it, and… you're okay with it, right?" Molly asked.

Meredith snickered, "You'll have a lot of convincing Dean to do."

"What?" Molly asked, shooting her a funny look.

Meredith shook her head, "I don't know. He'll say something about Victoria being in an ad campaign and horny high school boys and, well, you know the rest."

Molly laughed, "Oh, we're buds now. I took this coffee away from you. He owes me now."

Meredith laughed, "Good luck trying to use that as an argument."

"It's a valid one!" she defended.

"Well, I'm glad you have an idea now," Meredith replied, changing the subject.

"Yes! I know! And problem solved. Once I pitch it to the team, I think they'll love it. What're the girls doing Saturday? I can have a shoot ready for this weekend," Molly said, all giddy and excited.

* * *

><p>"Alright, girls, that's great. Hm… alright, let's take five and then we'll do your shots, Victoria," Molly said, ordering everyone around. Meredith chuckled. Whenever she went anywhere that Molly was in charge, she always found it amusing.<p>

"Hey," Molly greeted, seeing her friend.

"It is your world and the rest of us simply live in it," Meredith replied, chuckling.

"Well, it's nice to see you out in the daylight, my little serial killer," Molly teased.

Meredith chuckled, "Dean made me come. I keep getting texts every two seconds about updates on the photo shoot. I think he just wants me to spy for him – make sure you're not putting Victoria in anything too short, sexy, revealing, provocative… well, you get the picture."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm putting her in lingerie, sprawled across a pool table," Molly joked.

"She's wearing lingerie and is sprawled across a pool table," Meredith said aloud as she texted Dean. There was a response in less than 30 seconds that read: WHAT? Meredith showed the phone to Molly and the two of them laughed over it. Meredith quickly texted her husband back to tell him it was a joke, and to relieve him of his worry.

Meredith changed the subject, "The clothes look amazing. Your/my idea seems to be brilliant!"

"It really is. And the girls looks great in them," Molly replied.

Over by the computer where the photographs were instantly being uploaded from the photographer's camera, the girls stood crowded around it.

"Wow, Renee looks great," Victoria said.

"Yeah, I really like that one," Haley said, pointing to one of the pictures where Renee was dressed in a black body con dress with white geometric print.

"I really like that one," Iz chimed in, pointing to another photograph.

"Hey, what're you guys talking about? Oh no. Not my photos. Can we please just go back to Haley's? You looked so chic in them," Renee begged.

"Oh stop. You look amazing in all of these," Victoria said.

"Well, thanks," Renee blushed. She never knew how to take compliments. They always made her feel uncomfortable but that was mainly because she wasn't a huge fan of being the center of attention… ever, really.

"That was five! Victoria, let's put you in your first outfit. Can you go get dressed in the tank of those black high waist shorts? We'll style it once you get out here," Molly asked.

"Sure," Victoria replied.

"Thanks, sweetie," Molly smiled, chipper, as she went along, ordering everyone around and moving the photo shoot along.

After Victoria and then Iz's shoot, Molly decided to get some pictures of the girls all together with each individual style. Renee wore the bright, colorful clothes, while Haley's were softer and chic. Iz portrayed the more rocker chic while Victoria's was the casual, trendy, and slightly bohemian. At the end of the day, Molly knew it was exactly what she had been looking for.

* * *

><p>John scrolled the pictures on Renee's laptop. Her mom had given her a flash drive to take home, just in case and Renee had made the mistake of telling John that they pictures from today's photo shoot were on there before she ran out to pick up dinner for the two of them.<p>

"What're you doing right now?" Renee asked, on the phone with John. She was nearing her house and was just about to pull into her driveway.

"Nothing," John replied, innocently.

"You're looking at the pictures, aren't you?" Renee asked, calling him out on it.

"How'd you know?" John exclaimed.

"I can hear it in your voice," Renee said back.

"In my defense, they were already up. You had the flash drive in the computer long before I decided to look. All I did was 'accidentally' bump into your laptop and well it woke up… the pictures were already pulled up. See, this is not my fault. I stumbled upon them," John explained, crafting his elaborate tale.

Renee laughed, "I'm sure."

"Can I just say that I think it's incredibly hot that my girlfriend is going to be in a national ad campaign?" John asked, leaning against the counter and biting his lip as he scrolled over another gorgeous picture of his girlfriend. She was wearing a black romper with super high heels that made her legs go on for miles. John couldn't help but think about reaching up that dress and-.

"Uh… thank you?" Renee replied, interrupting his fantasy.

"What? My girl's a model. That's totally hot!" John defended himself.

She giggled, "Hey, I'm in the driveway. I have dinner."

"Ooh, what'd you get?" John asked.

Just then, John heard a key turning in the side door that led right into the kitchen and the door opened. Renee stood there with her large brown paper bag.

"I thought we could have a little dim sum… and then some," she replied, a playful look in her eye.

John smirked, "That sounds like the perfect kind of dinner to me."

"I thought you'd like the idea," Renee smiled, before leaning in and kissing John once. She was about to put the food down on the counter when John pulled her back to him for a real kiss.

"Oh, I more than like it, baby," he said, kissing her again. "And by the way, you're not getting away from me that easily."

She giggled, kissing him back.

"Your mom's still working at the photo shoot picking out what pictures to use or something?" John asked, in between kisses.

"Mhm, something like that, and my dad's in the middle of some big, long surgery at the hospital. Besides, he has the late shift," Renee mumbled back, her mouth constantly being assaulted by John's, in the best way possible, that is. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as the kiss deepened. The two of them both knew where this was going.

John smirked, "Good, because I thought we could start with "and then some" and work our way back to the dim sum."

"Sounds great. Bedroom," Renee ordered.

"Yes ma'am," he said, before pulling away and taking her hand in his as they raced up to Renee's bedroom.

After a good hour or so spent doing "and then some", Renee went back to the kitchen, dressed only in John's light blue button down, and got plates, their food, and plastic ware, before bringing it back up to the bedroom.

"Oh man, I forgot drinks!" she exclaimed, setting everything down on the floor.

"Don't worry, I'll get them," John shrugged, before putting on some boxers and getting up. "Water?"

"That'd be great," Renee answered. John went downstairs to get two glasses of water before returning with the water and a picnic blanket.

"Where'd that come from?" Renee asked.

"I don't know. It was in your kitchen cabinets," John answered. "I thought we could have a picnic in here. Since it's just you and I tonight for a while…"

"Wow, for a guy that claims he doesn't like sappy, romantic gestures, this is a bit of a shocker," Renee said, raising an eyebrow.

John shrugged, "We can't get the food on the carpet, right? Besides, that's kind of my dad's thing – the whole no chick flick moment thing – but we all know that's a lie."

Renee laughed, "You're right. I've seen him and your mom have several chick flick moments."

"No shit. Sometimes, I'd prefer if they weren't right in front of us. Just a little bit," John added sarcastically.

"At least you've never walked in on your parents-, oh wait. You did, didn't you?" Renee teased.

"Ah, no! Why'd you have to bring that up?" John exclaimed, instinctually covering his eyes.

Renee laughed, "John, why are you covering your eyes!"

"I don't know!" he yelled. "It's burned into my brain! This doesn't even help!"

Renee, continually laughing at John's reaction, just shook her head and said, "Come sit down here and eat, you. I'm starving and you're going to need some energy for a round two."

John wiggled his eyebrows once, suggestively, "Round two, huh?"

"If you're lucky," Renee answered, as she began to unpack the food.

John chuckled, "Wow, I'm starving. I hadn't realized until now." It had just hit him but it made sense. John was always starving after sex.

"Good thing we had the dim sum for after 'and then some', huh?" Renee asked.

"Yeah…" John trailed off, in a happy haze. He honestly couldn't think of anyone better than Renee. He couldn't believe that what he was looking for had been standing beside him his entire life, growing up with him, being there for him, loving him and being in love together. He knew he'd always love her, no matter what happened. And no demon would take that away from them. "Hey, are we okay?"

"What?" Renee asked, confused.

"You know… about my birthday and stuff. I kind of freaked out at you at the hospital…" John trailed off.

"Oh. That," Renee answered. She had pretended that none of that had ever happened. She didn't even want to think about ending things with John. She knew she was too far in to even think about that. She was so in love with him and it scared her how much she was in love with him, but losing him was an even scarier thought.

Now it was John's turn to be confused. What was that supposed to mean?

"Yeah. I think we're okay. Do you?"

"Yeah," John said back.

Renee nodded slowly. Why'd he have to go and make things awkward?

"Can we just not talk about it now?" Renee asked, uncomfortably.

"Sure, yeah," John answered, not knowing what to say.

"Okay, good," Renee sighed with relief. "I can't lose you John. I just can't." This was the only way to sum up how she had been feeling without totally losing it. So she said those words and hoped he'd understand that that's all she had to say on the matter.

John nodded, "I don't want you to. It just freaked me out, you know?"

"Yeah," Renee nodded in understanding.

Good. Now they were on the same page.

* * *

><p>Jude knocked on Anna's apartment door and the door practically swung open before he was being pulled into her arms.<p>

"I'm only five minutes late!" Jude defended, innocently.

"You scared me! I mean, last time you were late you showed up bloody and… cut… and… don't scare me like that again, okay Jude?" Anna asked.

Jude frowned, "I'm sorry about that. Look, I probably shouldn't have come to your place that night. I didn't want to worry you but I thought seeing me after everything that happened would put you at ease. Turns out it didn't…."

Anna shook her head, "No, I needed to see you that night. I don't think a phone call would've done the job at putting my mind at ease."

"Anna, I'm sorry. I don't want to drag you into any of this," Jude started.

"You're not!" she protested.

"I don't plan to make that kind of thing a habit, you know?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, of course. I just got worried, okay?" Anna asked back, on edge. Jude eyed her suspiciously. What was up with her today? "It's just, when you didn't show up and then I got that text, I got worried. And it made me realize-." Anna's eyes widened and she shut her mouth, going over to the kitchen area in her apartment. "I made dinner. Why don't we sit down and eat before we start studying for that anatomy quiz?"

"Realize what?" Jude asked.

"Nothing," Anna shrugged, trying to distract him. "Milk, orange juice, beer, or water?"

"Beer," Jude replied.

Anna chuckled, "Should've known." There was an awkward silence between them as Anna got a beer from the fridge.

"You realized what, Anna?" Jude asked again, causing her to stop. She set the beer down on the counter, taking a deep breath. It was now or-, no. No, no, no. She wasn't going to say it.

"Nothing!" she snapped, rolling her eyes. She pulled open the kitchen drawer and got out her bottle opener.

"No, tell me," Jude demanded, a smile forming on his face. If this was what he thought it was, he wanted to hear it.

"It was nothing, Jude. Would you just give it a rest?" she exclaimed, opening the bottle with force.

"No," Jude asserted. "I want to know."

Anna slammed the bottle opener down on the counter, causing a loud clanging noise before turning around and snapping, "That, I love you, Jude. Jesus! Don't make a big deal about it, okay?"

"Okay," Jude smirked, smugly.

Anna turned around, sighing. She could barely believe she had just said that but she was overcome with irritation that she was too busy to even worry about being nervous. She put the bottle opener back in the drawer and then got out a glass of water for herself.

"Hey, Anna?" Jude asked.

"What?" she asked, not bothering to turn around this time.

"I love you back," Jude said, a smile on his face.

A smile spread across Anna's face as she turned around, seeing the look on Jude's face. She shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully. She crossed her arms over her chest before saying, "You are one smug bastard, you know that?"

"Yeah," Jude shrugged. "But you love me."

"Shut up! I thought I told you not to make a big deal about it!" she huffed. Jude just chuckled before walking towards and pulling her into his arms before kissing her.

He teased in a sing-song voice, "You looooove me."

"Do you always have to have the last word?" she groaned.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Ugh. Just kiss me. I don't know why, but I love you and- and just kiss me," Anna ordered.

"I love you too," Jude replied, before leaning down and kissing her again.

* * *

><p>Meredith sat in the office room, on the floor, as she held the phone to her ear.<p>

"Yes, that'd be great. Please send the medical records over to this number," she said as she gave the man her fax number after skillfully conning him into believing she was a doctor. As soon as the fax machine lit up and starting printing she thanked the man and hung up the phone.

"Meredith, come to bed," she heard a voice demand as Dean came into the room.

"Yeah, one second. I just want to print the medical records and police report. I don't know how this'll help me track the demon and find this 'first' guy. I mean, how is it even possible for this guy to be the first? Lillith was the first so-," Meredith rambled.

"Meredith, stop it!" Dean exclaimed.

Meredith stopped to look over at Dean, "What?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Meredith, this needs to stop," Dean said, forcefully. Meredith ignored his comment and returned her attention to the fax machine. "Mer, I'm scared too. You don't think this scares the hell out of me? Well, it does, but you've become obsessed, baby! I barely see you anymore. You're locked up in this room day and night working on this… this board. I-." Dean realized that his wife was trying to ignore him so he marched right over to her and grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. "Look at me!"

"Dean, it's almost printed," she said softly, avoiding eye contact.

"No!" Dean said.

"Dean, I have to read this," Meredith said, raising her voice.

"No!" Dean demanded.

"Dean!" she exclaimed, finally looking him in the eye. And right then, she saw how scared and how hurt he was too. She also saw how worried he was for her.

"I want you back, Mer. I- I feel like I'm losing you… Come back to me. We'll figure this out together. There's no need for you to shut me out, alright?" Dean comforted, softly.

"I'm so scared, Dean," she said, her voice breaking.

"Shh, I know. Me too," Dean said, as she fell apart and he held her in his arms.

"I'm scared," she whispered against him. He stroked her hair before placing a kiss on top of her head.

"We're going to fight it together, Mer. This thing is not going to tear our family apart," Dean assured.

"How can you promise that?" she asked.

"Because we've made it through hell, the apocalypse, leviathan… we even managed to maintain a semi-normal life," Dean listed. Meredith chuckled.

"What're a few croats and demons really going to do to us?" Dean asked, lightly.

Meredith sighed, "We have made it through a lot…"

"Exactly. And I know for a fact that we're going to be alright," Dean said.

"How?" Meredith asked, hopeful.

"Because we're Winchesters," Dean answered, determined.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

To see Molly's lookbook, go here:

: / / s1224 . photobucket albums/ee375/Winchestergirl5/Next%20Generation%20-%20Lookbook/

Just remove the spaces. This chapter was a little bit scattered, I know, but I wanted to feature a couple of moments between different couples. I hope that's okay!

Up next: Some more couple-y stuff. I'm definitely updating my new story "The One That Got Away" when I get back. I'm honestly really excited about this story and it seems to be going well so far (so far as in my one chapter… hah). Check it out if you haven't so far. I'm going a short trip tomorrow and won't be back till Tuesday so I won't be able to update until Wednesday-ish. Don't fret. I'll be loaded with ideas and ready to write when I come back.


	36. Homemade Lunch Wednesday

"As much as I love how worked up you all are getting because of this question, for time's sake, we're going to have to move onto the next one. It already looks like we're going to have to finish these discussion questions tomorrow," Meredith announced to her class. Her fourth period class was in a heated discussion on one of her Faulkner discussion questions but they have to move on.

A groan erupted from the class, disappointedly.

Riiiiiiiing!

"Or not. I guess we really will have to finish these tomorrow. Take care everyone and read to page 128," Meredith said, as the bell finished and she dismissed the class. As the students filed out of the room on their way to lunch, she smiled to herself, hearing them continue their discussion on the passage that had been of topic.

"Miss Lawson, could you stay back for a moment?" Meredith requested.

"Uh sure," Greer replied, as she shoved her notebooks into her book bag and made her way up to the front of the class. The last students had left and it was only Greer and Meredith in the classroom now.

"Am I in trouble?" Greer asked, nervously.

"What? Oh, no!" Meredith laughed, shaking her head. "No, you're not."

"Oh good," Greer sighed with relief. "I wasn't quite sure what I did this time."

Meredith chuckled, "No, I wanted to talk to you about coming to the center with us this afternoon."

"The center?" Greer asked.

"Hasn't Cole told you about it? We have a little training center downtown for the hunters. And by hunters, I really just mean the family," Meredith informed.

"Oh yeah, he's mentioned it a couple of times. You… wouldn't mind?" Greer asked, hesitantly.

"Of course not! I'm inviting you. Besides, I think it'd be good for you and it'll be refreshing for the family to have another hunter in the room that isn't me or Dean. Something big is coming and we need you at your best," Meredith answered.

"That sounds great," Greer smiled.

"Great. We're all heading over there right after school," Meredith said, before Greer thanked her and headed out of the classroom.

Greer headed out of the room, feeling giddy as ever. It was this strange feeling that she wasn't used to experiencing. It's just that Greer had never felt like she was ever really a part of something. Her mom left early, and for that moment, it was just her dad, her brother, and her, but it never felt like they were ever truly a family. Dad was always so broken and it was just her and her brother. Then when Dylan came back, well, things were never the same after that – of course, he had been a demon. But now, with the Winchesters, they had easily welcomed her with open arms from the beginning. She was dating Cole which made her feel like a part of something amazing already, but it wasn't just his family. It was all of them. She couldn't help but love the feeling of being wanted for the first time.

Just then, she saw Cole walking towards her. She smiled before heading over to him, "So guess what your aunt just asked me?"

"What?" Cole asked back.

"She asked me to come train with them at the center this afternoon. How cool is that?" Greer squealed.

Cole chuckled, "For most girls, it's shopping or shoes or something but not you."

"Not me," Greer smiled proudly.

"You. You get excited over something like hunter training," Cole continued.

"Damn straight," she bragged, as the two linked arms and walked towards the cafeteria together.

"Yeah, I was thinking about going over to the center this afternoon. I guess I have one more reason to go now," Cole remarked.

Greer narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, looking him over a couple of times, "Yeah, I could definitely take you."

"You could not!" Cole protested.

"I guess we'll see this afternoon," Greer shrugged, innocently, yet, with a mischievous look in her eyes. Cole just shook his head laughing.

Back in Meredith's classroom, she still sat at her desk, grading the pop quizzes that she had given today. She had finished first period's already and honestly wasn't really up for going to the cafeteria or the teacher's lounge for lunch. She just wanted a quiet day.

"Hey, I thought we were done with our serial killer days?" a voice asked, causing Meredith to look up from her desk.

"Dean, what're you doing here?" she asked, a smile crossing her face.

"You didn't show up at lunch, so-," Dean started.

"You thought you'd check on me?" Meredith interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"No! No- yes," Dean nodded.

She giggled, "That's sweet, honey, but I don't need much checking up on. They're just pop quizzes. See? No demon research." Meredith held up her pop quizzes that she had been grading so that Dean could see them.

"Yeah, well, since you were a no-show, you almost spoiled my surprise," Dean said.

"Surprise?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, it's all a part of 'all about Meredith' week," Dean answered, shrugging simply.

"Oh, please don't tell me you're still stuck on that," Meredith groaned.

"Hey, it's as 'chick flick moment' as I'll ever get," Dean defended.

"Alright, what did you bring me today?" Meredith asked, perking up and showing her husband that she really did appreciate his attempts to pull her out of the dark place that she had been in ever since John's eighteenth birthday.

"See? I knew you liked it," Dean smirked.

"So what if I do?" Meredith shrugged.

The smirk remained on Dean's face as pulled out two plastic Tupperware dishes from a paper bag and put them on my desk. He then reached down and got plastic ware.

"Tada! I made lunch," Dean bragged, proudly.

Meredith gasped and smiled, "Dean, this is sweet. And looks really great!"

"Hey, I thought we were over the shock that I can cook… sort of," Dean replied.

Meredith laughed, "We are. It's just you haven't really cooked for just me in a while."

"I know. That's why I knew it would top Music Monday," Dean said.

"I did like Music Monday," Meredith said back, referring to the fact that Dean had played her favorite music in the house last night – of course, only the classic rock.

"What about Tuesday?" Dean smirked.

"What? Get the kids out of the house so we can screw Tuesday? Yeah, I liked it," Meredith shrugged, brushing it off because she knew Dean lived for compliments when it came to his skills in the bedroom, and she liked to watch him squirm every once in a while.

"Baby, it sounded like you more than liked it," Dean shot back, biting his lip.

Meredith's heart skipped a beat as she saw the look on her husband's face, "Uh uh. We are so not doing that here. Besides, if we want to enjoy homemade lunch Wednesday."

Dean sighed dramatically, "If you insist."

Meredith giggled, "Thanks for doing this, Dean. It means a lot to me."

"What am I supposed to do? You were turning into a serial killer!" Dean exclaimed.

"Dean!" Meredith exclaimed back, trying to hold back a laugh, but ending up failing.

"I'm kidding. I'm happy to, babe," Dean answered, shooting his wife a smile.

* * *

><p>"Okay, is it just me our history sub really cute?" Greer asked.<p>

"No, he's definitely cute. I was at a student government meeting yesterday and the topic came up when we were in our individual groups you know-," Renee started.

"Planning prom?" Greer asked.

"Yeah, I know. That's all we do!" Renee sighed.

Greer laughed, "But back to Mr. Hersh."

"Yes. He's so cute. But not like baby cute. More like…" Renee trailed off, trying to find the right words for their new history sub.

"Grab him by the tie and push him down on the desk cute?" Greer suggested.

Renee laughed, "I was going to say yummy cute but yours works as well." Just then, John and Cole went over to Greer and Renee as the boys saw their girlfriend's coming out of their last period US history class that the two had together.

"What're you ladies talking about?" John asked, going over to them.

Renee and Greer exchanged glances before bursting into a fit of laughter, "Nothing," the both answered simultaneously.

"Uh oh. You two have been conspiring again. What is it this time?" Cole asked, suspiciously.

"Nothing," Greer shrugged.

"Come on. Let's leave these two crazy kids alone. Besides, I promised Mrs. Winchester, your aunt, whatever I'm supposed to call her now – I don't know. It's confusing! – that we'd be over at the center right after school," Greer said to Cole.

"Sounds good," Cole replied, as he and Greer left John and Renee alone.

"So you're going to the center this afternoon?" Renee asked John, once they were alone.

"Yeah," John replied. When there was no reply from Renee, he looked over at her, examining the disapproving look on her face. "Is that… not cool with you?"

Renee shrugged, trying to avoid eye contact, "Do I like the idea of it? Not really."

"Well, Renee, I kind of have to," John started.

"You do?" she asked, skeptically.

"Yeah, they're my family and we have to be ready for whatever's coming at us," John replied.

"But that's what I don't like about it. You're-, I mean, you're barely eighteen, John, and you're being expected to go fight some kind of demons? You could get seriously hurt or-." Renee said, but as soon as she realized what she was about to say, she stopped talking immediately. "Never mind. Can we just drop this?"

John sighed, "I'm sorry, Renee, but they're my family. I can't just say no."

"Yeah, I know," she mumbled.

"Hey, you okay?" John asked. He hated to leave her like this but he really needed to go.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Go ahead. I'll call you tonight or something," Renee replied, putting on a fake smile which she knew wouldn't fool him. He knew her too well.

"You sure?" John asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she repeated.

"Okay," he replied, uneasily. He felt torn, but he knew he needed to go. He quickly kissed her on the cheek before leaving Renee back at school and heading downtown to the center.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, the center was busy with hunters. Meredith had taken Flynn out for shooting practice, while Cole and Greer were working on hand to hand combat, John was conditioning, and Dean was teaching Victoria combat as well.<p>

"Alright, look at me. Yeah, that's good," Dean advised, complimenting his daughter as they practiced blocking and parrying just to warm up.

"Dad, you taught me how to block and parry a long time ago," Victoria said.

"I know. Now throw a punch," Dean said back.

"Oh shit!" Cole swore as Greer tripped him and he fell. He wasn't going to let her win like that. When he knew she was vulnerable, he swung his leg right to hers, causing her to fall down on top of him. She caught herself, the two breathing heavily as she looked down at him, her face inches away from his.

"Hi," Greer giggled.

"Hi," Cole said back.

John came up, mid-sit up and scowled, before returning to the floor and then back up again, "Ew, you guys are almost as bad as my parents!"

Victoria paused, looking over, and making a face, "Yeah, you guys are. Seriously. Stop it. My mom'll be back any moment with Flynn and you two will definitely be out-mushed."

"Alright, kids. Break it up you two!" Dean said, obnoxiously loud, causing Greer and Cole to laugh before getting off of the ground and getting to their feet. "Oh, and sweetheart, never look away in a hand to hand combat situation."

"Huh?" Victoria asked. And before she could say anything else, she felt the foam block that her father had been holding in his hand for her to punch into, swing across and hit her in the head.

"Because if you do, that will happen," Dean replied.

"Dad!" she exclaimed. "You're going to mess up my hair."

"I think that'll be the least of your worries," Dean replied, cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah," Victoria mumbled.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after dinner, at the Winchester house, things were beginning to wind down. Victoria was finishing up some homework, Flynn was sitting in the living room on the lap top while John was watching TV. Meredith and Dean, however, were in their room.<p>

"Today was good," Meredith sighed, happily.

"So you liked homemade lunch Monday over … whatever you called it Tuesday?" Dean asked, teasingly disappointed.

"Not that, silly! I meant going to the center this afternoon. We make a pretty good team, don't we? It's like there, I don't actually mind teaching our kids how to hunt, you know?" Meredith asked.

Dean nodded slowly, "It does seem a little more fun than it normally would be."

"And the important part is that we get to do it together – family style – if that's even possible," Meredith chuckled.

"Yeah. Ah, my back's been killing me all afternoon," Dean said, rubbing his back and sitting down on the edge of the bed. Meredith hadn't replied yet, but instead chuckled a little.

"Lie down," Meredith ordered.

"I love it when you take control like that, Mer," he smirked.

"Not that!" she giggled. "Come on. I'll massage your back."

"So you don't want to have… fuck me now Tuesday?" Dean asked.

She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully, "I believe I called it 'get the kids out of the house so we can screw Tuesday'."

"Ah. Yes, that," Dean smirked.

"Uh uh. You didn't get the kids out of the house," Meredith teased.

"Yeah, whatever," Dean said, before lying down on his stomach. His wife sat on his lower back, beginning to draw circles in his muscles with her thumbs.

"Mm, that's good babe," Dean groaned, sighing in pleasure. This went on for a while, while the couple talked and laughed together.

Meredith giggled, "So how exactly did 'all about Meredith' week turn into 'all about Dean week?"

"Moment," Dean corrected. It's just an all about Dean moment. Besides, I think I deserve a back massage as a uh… reward."

She sighed, "Well, you have been extra sweet to me this week…"

"Hey, there's someone-," a voice said, as the door swung open, causing Meredith and Dean to both see their son John standing at the door. "Woah! Oh my God! I'm blind!"

"John, I'm so sorry!" Meredith cried, blushing and beginning to get up while of course, Dean pulled her back down to him.

"No, no it's fine. I'm just going to uh- go. Actually, it's not fine. Just- oh my God," John groaned as he bolted far, far away from his parents' bedroom. Meredith and Dean sat there in silence for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"You know, we've got to stop doing that," Meredith finally said.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Traumatizing our children," Meredith answered back, before climbing off of Dean.

"Hey, where are you going?" Dean exclaimed in protest.

"John said someone was at the door, silly," Meredith replied simply, getting off the bed and giving her husband's butt a playful smack.

"Hey!" Dean chuckled.

"Put on a shirt and join me," Meredith said, before leaving the room and leaving Dean with thoughts only of his wife coming back to their bedroom and locking themselves in there for hours to come. Dean was willing to make that a part of 'all about Mer' week, but he knew she'd say no – especially since John had just burst in on them. Dean chuckled. John was lucky that all they were doing was giving back massages. Dean got up and grabbed his shirt off of the floor to go join his wife on the porch with whoever was at the door.

On the porch, Meredith was surprised to find Bryan Gallagher standing there, fidgeting with his hands and shifting uncomfortably.

"Bryan," Meredith said, shocked, as she examined the scared look on her old friend's face, a concerned tone in her voice.

"Hey, what's going on?" a voice said, as Meredith heard footsteps behind her. Just then, a protective arm slid around her waist as her husband joined her. "Bryan."

"Dean," Bryan said back, acknowledging him.

"Bryan, what's going?" Meredith finally asked.

"I need your help," Bryan replied, swallowing.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> A bit of a filler chapter but much more to come! Reviews are much much appreciated and usually help me update faster. :D


	37. Not So Normal

"I need your help," Bryan replied, swallowing.

Meredith could tell from the look on his face that asking for help wasn't easy for him. She had a hunch about what Bryan needed help with, but she hoped it wouldn't be true, for the Gallagher family's sake.

"With what?" Meredith asked. Dean gave his wife a tight squeeze as he held her to him.

"Something's come up. I don't know much about the demon problem you've been dealing with, but I think it may be the same thing," Bryan answered. Meredith and Dean exchanged glances, both worried for their own separate reasons.

"What, you've got a revenge seeking demon on your ass like we do?" Dean asked, making light of the situation in the way only he could make it seem almost appropriate.

"Join the club. You're a little late on that train," Meredith said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Mer," Dean scolded, gently. He knew that she didn't agree with the Gallagher's parenting style but the both of them understood it.

"Look, we tried to ignore it but-," Bryan started.

"You can't ignore something like that, Bryan! This has been of issue for a while now and you're just now getting involved? I just-, I don't get it, okay? I'm sorry," Meredith huffed.

Bryan nodded slowly, "You're right."

"Yeah, I am! Wait, what?" Meredith asked back. She hadn't expected him to cave that easily.

"Yes. You are. When you warned us about something, we should've listened. Now we're getting these calls… and every now and then it feels like someone's watching us," Bryan explained.

Dean took in a deep breath, "And you need our help finding out who it is?"

Bryan shook his head, "No. I know who it is. I need your helping tracking it."

"What about your kids?" Meredith asked, softly.

"They don't have to know. Kitty and I talked about it and we decided that it'd be best if only one of us come over and ask for help. That way, we can take this thing out and make it discreet as possible. We've kept it from them all their lives. There's no reason to change now," Bryan answered. Meredith just stared at him, accepting his answer, still with a judgmental look on her face. "Look, I know I'm asking a lot of you but I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't serious."

Meredith examined the desperate look on Bryan's face before sighing, "Yeah, okay. We'll help."

"Thank you. I just want to get rid of the problem so that we can get back to-," Bryan started.

"Normal," Dean interjected.

"Yes. That," Bryan said, shortly.

Dean nodded, "We understand."

"Should I come over tomorrow? We'll discuss details?" Bryan suggested.

Meredith laughed, "Hah! No. Come inside. We'll work it out now. Oh, and I hope you still take your coffee black." Dean and Bryan exchanged glances.

"She's still quite a pistol, isn't she?" Bryan chuckled.

"More than you know," Dean replied.

"Come on, boys. We have a whole lot of work to do now," Meredith encouraged, turning around and pushing the door open, letting both Dean and Bryan into the house. She closed the door behind Bryan, locking it, and double checking the outside just to make sure nothing was out there.

_**~Flashback~  
><strong>__  
>"Yeah, I'll take a shot of vodka, thanks," a man said, coming right up next to me while Meredith sat at the bar, patiently awaiting her husband's arrival. It had been her idea that she arrive at the bar early while her husband showered up from their day's work on the job they were working. Sam had decided to stay back at the motel and the two men had been courteous enough to let her shower first. So here she was, sitting at a bar, in a roadhouse, looking smokin' in her skinny jeans, and reading a book while waiting for Dean.<em>

_"Anything for you, Miss?" the bartender asked, shooting her a flirtatious and sweet smile. She chuckled at his use of the word 'miss'. She rubbed a finger over her wedding ring, making sure that it hadn't fallen off or something._

_"I'll take another shot of this, thanks," she answered. He nodded, taking my shot glass and pouring my drink first._

_The man sitting next to her raised an eyebrow when he saw her choice of liquor, "Jack Daniels?"_

_"Yep," Meredith answered._

_"Not many women I know can take hard liquor like that," he remarked._

_"Uh huh," Meredith sounded, hoping to not interest him at all._

_"Here you go: one shot of vodka and one shot of Jack," the bartender said, placing their shot glasses down in front of them._

_"Can you put this on my-," Meredith started._

_"Allow me," the man interjected. Meredith raised an eyebrow, shooting the man a funny look. The bartender instead, just nodded and went on with his bartending duties._

_"I'm married, you know," Meredith said to the man._

_"I noticed. The ring?" the man said back. Meredith opened my mouth to say something but the next thing he said shocked her even more. "It's okay. I am too." He held up his left hand, showing her the ring on his finger._

_"So what? You just run around buying married women drinks?" Meredith asked back, skeptically._

_"Yeah," Bryan shrugged. "By the way, the job you're working? It's the father, not the driver. Harry Glass framed the driver and then murdered him so those bones your burned tonight, aren't going to do anything."_

_Meredith looked over at the man, her eyes widened and body tense, "Who the hell are you?"_

_"Bryan Gallagher," the man replied, jovial, relaxed, and extremely entertained. "My wife and I are working the same job as you and your husband."_

_"I don't believe you," Meredith shot back, remaining at a distance, and on guard._

_"Why not?" Bryan asked back._

_"I'll believe in Casper the friendly ghost when I actually find a hunter that's actually willing to work with other hunters – let alone give them information on a job," Meredith replied, suspiciously._

_Bryan shrugged simply, "My wife and are different than the rest. We don't get the whole 'this is my job. Stay out of it' mindset. You know, you're going to have to shake my hand at some point."_

_Meredith knew she didn't have to, but something told her that he was telling the truth. She slowly extended her hand out to him, "Meredith Winchester."_

_Just then, there were footsteps behind us, "Hi, honey. Sorry, I'm late, but I wanted to make sure our suspicions were right before we burned any bones."_

_"Kitty, this is Meredith Winchester," Bryan introduced, as his wife sat down at the bar next to her husband._

_"Winchester, huh? How's John doing these days?" Kitty asked back._

_Thank God Dean wasn't here, "He's uh, he died a few years ago, actually."_

_"Oh, I'm so sorry," Kitty said._

_"Thanks," I said back._

_"Looks like you're making friends," I heard a voice whisper in my ear as I felt an arm slip around my waist. I practically jumped as Dean's arm went around my waist._

_"Jesus, you scared me!" I hissed, quietly._

_"You're jumpy tonight," Dean noticed._

_"Uh huh. You're just like a ninja!" I chuckled, letting my heartbeat drop back to its normal pulse as I sighed with relief._

_"Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Dean asked._

_"Oh, they're not my-," I started, but then I looked over at Kitty and Bryan. Although I knew it wasn't wise to trust them, there was something telling me that it might be okay. Of course, we'd be cautious, but it didn't hurt for now, right? "Dean, this is Bryan and Kitty Gallagher. They're hunters… like us."_

_"What, like Casper the friendly ghost?" Dean asked._

_"She said the same thing," Bryan chuckled._

_"Bryan and Kitty are working the same job as us," I said, cautiously. Dean shot me a funny look and shot him a look that said, 'just go with me on this one, okay?'. Dean sighed._

_"Yeah, okay. What?" Dean asked_

_**~End Flashback~**_

* * *

><p>Victoria and Tyler, all bundled up in their winter clothing, walked up the porch steps to the Gallagher residence.<p>

"I'm freezing. Would you think it was so 'girl-scout' of me if we made hot cocoa?" Victoria asked, rubbing her hands together.

"Not at-," Tyler started to say before he stopped, staring at something over Victoria's head. Victoria turned around, confused, and saw her mom and Tyler's dad on their front porch. Mr. Gallagher had been at the house every night since a few days ago. Victoria didn't find it at all strange because she knew that they were working on tracking a demon, but she knew for Tyler, it must seem really weird.

"Why don't we just head inside? It's so cold out here," Victoria said, trying to distract Tyler.

"Sure," he replied, distantly.

"Oh, and we could watch that movie you wanted to watch. You know the Coen brothers film we rented the other day for today?" Victoria suggested. She and Tyler had been spending a lot of time with their friends and this Friday, the wanted to do something, just the two of them.

Tyler faked a smile which Victoria saw right through, before saying, "That sounds great. Why don't we head inside?"

"Okay," Victoria replied. She knew her distractions weren't working but she went along with him. The two of them went inside the house, made some popcorn and hot chocolate, in almost pure silence before heading to the living room to watch the movie. Victoria held the DVD box in her hand as she opened the DVD player to put the movie in. The disk place opened but she stopped, turning around to look at Tyler.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, examining the pensive look on his face.

"Do you think my dad and your mom are having an affair?" he asked.

"What? No!" Victoria exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"I'm serious. He's always over there. He has been since Wednesday," Tyler began.

"Yeah, with my very jealous, very over protective father. You think he's over protective of me? You should see him with my mother," Victoria said, trying to brush it off. She honestly didn't know what to say to Tyler.

"Well then explain to me why he's over there all the time. I mean, you're there, right? What've they been doing?" Tyler exclaimed, irritated.

Victoria sighed, "They're just-." She didn't know what to say to him but then something came to mind. "Well, my mom is co-sponsoring the entrepreneur club at our school, and so mom thought it'd be a good idea for your dad to come talk. They've- they've been putting together something for the club. I don't really know though. I'm not around them much to see but it's apparently some big presentation. They're not having an affair, Tyler."

Tyler sighed with relief, a smile spreading across his face, "Why didn't you just tell me about it in the first place?"

"There's that smile I love," Victoria said, kissing him once.

"Victoria," he chuckled, pulling away.

"What?" she asked, innocently.

"Don't change the subject, okay?" he asked, softly.

Victoria shrugged, avoiding Tyler's glance, "I don't know. I didn't think our parents spending this much time would bother you. I guess I should've said something." She hated lying to Tyler like this but she didn't know what else to tell him. That was the first thing that came to mind. It was the only logical thing she could think of.

Tyler shook his head, "It's okay. I didn't think it'd bother me this much either. I just… I don't know. It was just weird the amount of time he was over there. It must be some presentation, huh?"

"Yeah," Victoria replied, nodding her head. There was an awkward silence before Victoria knew that if there was even more silence, she'd confess. "So do you want to watch this movie or what?"

"Yeah. We have been waiting all week," Tyler replied.

"Uh huh," Victoria answered, quickly turning around and putting the movie. She took a deep breath, before closing the disc compartment on the DVD player.

_"Get it together. You're doing the right thing,"_she thought to herself.

* * *

><p>"You done?" Jude asked.<p>

"Yeah, thanks," Anna replied, as Jude picked up her empty plate off of the table, bringing it over to the kitchen area of the apartment. Jude put the dishes in the sink and began to run water over the dirty dishes. "You know, there's this crazy new invention called a dish washer. All the cool kids are using it these days."

Jude chuckled, "What if I told you I was an old fashioned guy?"

"Well, I'd tell you that I have a thing for old fashioned guys," Anna said back, seductively.

Jude smirked, "You're going to make it impossible for me to do these dishes, aren't you?"

"Uh huh. I already feel bad enough that you're doing my housekeeping," Anna replied.

Just then, Jude's cell phone started ringing, "I'm sorry. Hold on. It's my Mom."

"Yeah?"

"Hey, honey. Do you have the time?" Meredith asked.

"Uh, I guess yeah. What's up?" Jude asked back.

"I've got a job for you. Found another demon and I think it's making its move soon," Meredith replied.

"Oh okay," Jude said. "Hey, Mom, can I call you back? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"Yeah," Meredith answered.

"It'll be about thirty minutes. Talk to you later, Mom," Jude said.

"Okay. Love you. Bye," Meredith said back, before hanging up the phone.

"What's up?" Anna asked, a concerned look on her face as she saw how worried Jude was.

"My mom's got a case for me. I'm going to have to head out soon," Jude replied.

"Is everything okay?" Anna asked.

Jude nodded, "Yeah, it'll be fine once I take care of it."

"No, I mean with you. Is everything okay with you? This is the third one you've been out on these past two weeks," Anna replied.

Jude sighed, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry to ruin our plans like this again. I promise I'll make it up to you. How about tomorrow night? We could go out and have a totally demon free evening together."

"Don't worry, babe. It's okay," Anna comforted.

Jude nodded, but he knew it wasn't okay. He was starting to get really sick of having to either reschedule plans with Anna, or put life on hold just so he could go out on hunts. He couldn't imagine how Anna was feeling with all this, especially because he had been so absent lately, but he was so grateful that so far, she had been so understanding and gracious with it all. When he started college, he had left all of that behind – or at least he had said that he would. Once you think you're out, they pull you right back in, huh?

* * *

><p>"Hey, kiddo," Dean said, as Victoria got home later that night.<p>

"Hey," Victoria replied.

"You have fun at Tyler's?" Dean asked, trying hard not to sound too curious.

"Yeah," Victoria replied, simply. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?" Dean asked back.

"So Tyler asked me why his dad's been over here so often this week," Victoria started.

"What'd you say?" Dean asked.

"I avoided the truth and made up some story," Victoria answered.

"That's my girl!" Dean cheered.

Victoria smiled weakly, "I hate lying to him, Dad. But I can't tell him the truth…"

Dean, realizing how bothered by having to lie to her boyfriend Victoria was, gave her a small, comforting squeeze on her shoulder, "I know, kiddo. It's hard."

"I'm going to go upstairs and shower. I'll see you later," Victoria said, beginning to go.

"Okay," Dean accepted. He wanted to be able to tell Victoria something, but he didn't know what to say.

"Oh, and by the way, tell mom that she's now co-sponsoring the entrepreneur club," Victoria said.

"What?" Dean asked.

"It's your cover story. Tyler thought that Mom and Mr. Gallagher were having an affair," Victoria explained.

"What?" Dean exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"That was my reaction too, Dad," Victoria chuckled, before heading upstairs.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Dean answered it, revealing a tired looking Bryan Gallagher.

"Honey, who's at the-, Bryan," Meredith said, coming up next to Dean.

"I found the demon. He's in Denver," Bryan said back. Both Meredith and Dean could tell that he had had little sleep and was running on pure adrenaline.

"Alright, pack a bag. We'll go tomorrow morning," Dean said.

"No. I think I need to do this one on my own," Bryan said back. "Thank you so much. See? I always said we'd make a good team."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Happy 4th of July, all! Please, please, please review! I love to know what you guys are thinking about the story and I'm in need of inspiration. I honestly can't get my ideas for the sequel out of my head. Yes, there is possibly going to be a sequel - and by possibly, I mean there really will be. I'm too in love with these characters and have way too many ideas for there not to be one. Let me know what you think.  
>Thank you to Deangirl93 and an annonymous user for reviewing the last chapter. I know it was a bit of a filler chapter. Sorry about that!<p> 


	38. Symphony for the Devil

Victoria sat in the school library, Friday afternoon, studying up on some demon lore. She glanced at the clock, acknowledging that the library was going to close in thirty minutes, but she couldn't put her grandfather's hunting journal down. Since the attack, Victoria had been spending more time at the center and had been researching as much as she could with her spare time. She knew that something big was coming, and she wanted to be as prepared as possible for whatever was to come.

Victoria could practically feel the librarian's eyes bearing into her like daggers, but she was too focused to care. Okay, so maybe she cared a little, but the – what some would call – obsession was too overwhelming. She knew she got that from her mom – the whole mama bear instinct. But this was her family and her family was in danger. There was no way that she wasn't going to do all that she could to help.

"Hey, you," she heard a voice say, suddenly ripping her from her thoughts and startling her. She closed the notebook she had lying open with some of the important hunter tips that her grandfather had written in his journal. Again, she wanted to be ready.

"Hi!" Victoria said, rather loudly, causing another glare from the librarian.

"Shhh!" the woman shushed, angrily.

"Sorry!" Victoria whispered back. As soon as the librarian had turned around again and didn't seem to be paying attention, Victoria asked, using a quieter voice: "Hey, what're you doing here?"

"I had to make up a quiz. The better question is what're you doing here?" Tyler asked, curiously.

"Nothing," Victoria replied, her eyes widening as soon as she realized she had left Grandpa John's journal open. She quickly slammed it shut before shooting Tyler an innocent smile, hoping that he hadn't seen what was in it.

"What's that?" Tyler asked, curiously, reaching for the journal.

"Nothing," Victoria said, grabbing it and holding it in her lap, under the table.

"That's definitely not nothing," Tyler said.

"It's-, it's just- a- my… my diary!" Victoria stammered.

"Really?" Tyler asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah. I would let you read it, but I don't want to scare you off. You see, I have our whole life planned out together: kids, the white picket fence… a dog named spot," Victoria joked, easily throwing Tyler off her trail.

Tyler laughed, rolling her eyes playfully, "And do you have our kids' names picked out and everything as well?"

"First and middle names. And I'd rather you not see the pages where I've written Mrs. Tyler Gallagher over and over. It's a little embarrassing," Victoria continued. Tyler just laughed, shaking his head.

"Alright, alright. I give up!" he exclaimed.

"Shhhhhh!" they heard the librarian hiss again.

This time, Victoria and Tyler only exchanged glances before sharing a quiet laugh. The librarian only frowned but returned to shelving books.

"You know what? I think I've almost had my fill of pissing off Mrs. Grossman for the day. How about you and I head out of here? You can walk me to my mom's class room," Victoria suggested.

"Sounds lovely. And yeah, I think one more moment we stay in here, and she might actually try to kill you," Tyler replied.

"No shit," Victoria said, rolling her eyes. She put her stuff back in her book bag, careful that Tyler didn't get a look at anything demonic, as they headed out of the school library, and over to her mom's classroom so that she could go home.

_"Damn, that was a close one,"_ she thought to herself. It was getting harder and harder for her to hide this from Tyler, but more importantly, why did it feel like he was onto her? It was like he knew there was something going on, but then again, something was up at home as well. Maybe he noticed the similarities… It was getting harder and harder for her to keep this from him.

"Hey, we're still on for tonight right?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, 'course," Victoria answered shortly.

"Good," Tyler replied. "I think it'll be nice for us to go out."

"Yeah… about that… I should warn you about something," Victoria started.

"Should I be worried?" Tyler asked, lightly with a hint of concern in his voice.

"A little? The thing is, since it's the first time the whole family's been able to come to one of Flynn's band's shows, they're all kind of coming tonight…" Victoria trailed off. "I mean, it's called the Brewery so dad was all 'oh, let's make it a family thing' and then my mom was all on board because she practically lives for family time! Then John decided to invite Renee which means she invited Greer meaning Cole's coming."

"So?" Tyler asked.

"You're okay with this?" Victoria asked, surprised.

Tyler chuckled, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Haley and Owen were already coming anyways."

"Well… we were supposed to go out tonight and knowing my dad will be there… well, you know him," Victoria replied.

"Actually, your dad and I have been making some progress," Tyler said, a wide grin on his face. "Don't forget that I'm in his auto shop class."

"Oh, don't remind me," Victoria groaned, face palming.

"No, no! It's not bad at all. I mean, he's cool and when we work on stuff, it's just a bunch of guys with cars and rock music. Your dad's a little old school when it comes to the music but-," Tyler began to explain.

"Woah, woah, woah! I love classic rock!" Victoria interjected.

"Yeah, it's good. Then again, it's not terribly to update every once in a while," Tyler reasoned.

"Pft! You only say that because you like that weirdo indie hipster music," Victoria teased.

"Hey, don't hate on my music!" Tyler protested, playfully. "I don't judge yours."

"Fair enough," Victoria replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So I was saying before," Tyler said, trying to get them back on track.

"Alright, alright. I know. I'm working on not interrupting you when you hate on my amazing music taste. And by the way, it's really weird hearing you say that my dad's cool," Victoria joked.

Tyler laughed, "Your dad and I have gotten to know each other a bit more and I think he's starting to trust me a little."

Victoria smiled, "Really?"

"Yeah," Tyler replied.

"That's awesome! And don't take it personally. He really doesn't trust any guy," Victoria explained.

Tyler shrugged, "I'm a little used to it by now."

"Sorry," Victoria groaned.

He chuckled, "It's okay!"

* * *

><p>"Do you mind if I borrow your mascara? I forgot mine," Renee asked Greer as they were at her apartment, getting ready before the concert tonight. The Brewery was a small venue, but the girls were finding an excuse to look hot on a Friday night. "I know that's totally gross but-."<p>

"Psh, I don't care. It's no problem," Greer replied, handing Renee her mascara.

"Thanks," Renee replied, opening the bottle of mascara, and beginning to apply the makeup to her eye lashes.

"Wow, smoky eye really works for you," Greer said, seeing Renee as she was finished with her makeup.

"Oh, please. And it doesn't for you?" Renee shot back.

"Uh uh. No, we're not going to do the whole 'oh my gosh, you're so pretty' 'no you're so pretty' back and forth thing," Greer started.

Renee laughed, "Fair enough. So… I can't decide. I was thinking about this chiffon skirt with these nude heels." She held up the mint chiffon high waist skirt.

"For a place called the Brewery? I don't think so, foxy. Did you bring any skinny jeans with you?" Greer asked.

"No," Renee said, chewing on her bottom lip.

Greer looked her over once, "We're about the same size, right? Here. Try these." She then went into her closet, getting a pair of jeans out and tossing them to Renee.

"Huh. Okay, I'll try them," Renee said, instantly stripping off the jeans she was currently wearing for Greer's super skinny jeans. "Could you own tighter pants?"

Greer laughed, "You'd be surprised."

"The things you learn about Greer Lawson," Renee joked.

"There's something new every day!" Greer played along, before both girls erupted in a fit of laughter.

"Alright. I think I can breathe now," Renee said, as she stepped into her nude heels. Renee then examined what she had brought over to Greer's and spotted her asymmetrical, tiered, flowy racerback. She put that on and then, sarcastically said: "Tada!"

Greer turned around from her closet and looked at Renee, "It's perfect."

"You think?" Renee asked, turning around a little and looking at herself in the mirror.

"Yeah. And you'll thank me when John can keep his hands off of you tonight," Greer smirked.

"I don't know. His parents are going to be there," Renee said.

"And when has that ever stopped him?" Greer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is true," Renee answered with a small chuckled.

"Alright, what do you think?" Greer asked when she finally got dressed. She wore her Jack Daniels tshirt which she had cut into a tank top. The neckline had been cut and the arm holes were cut deep so that she wore a black bandeau underneath. She had on dark blue skinny jeans and some brown high heeled booties.

"Be thankful that Cole's parents won't be there. That's all I'm saying," Renee said.

Greer laughed, "I think we're concert ready if I do say so myself." Just then, the doorbell rang. "That must be the boys. I'll go get them."

As Renee checked herself in the mirror one last time, she heard the door to Greer's apartment open and close and then voices. She walked out of the room into the living room to see John and Cole standing in the hallway with Greer.

"Hey," Renee smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Hey," Cole said back. She looked up and saw John, his jaw dropped, searching for the right words. Greer shot her a 'I told you so' look before nodding over to John.

"Everyone ready to go?" Renee asked.

"Uh yeah," John stammered, not able to take his eyes off his girlfriend. Not that she didn't on a daily basis, but damn she looked hot. Her legs went on for miles in those jeans and… just damn.

"Dude," Cole said, nudging John.

"Yeah, what?" John asked, snapping out of it.

"Come on," Renee said, trying to fight back a laugh. She and Greer exchanged glances while the boys weren't looking as they left her apartment, and took two separate cars over to the Brewery where the place was having a local band night.

* * *

><p>"How're you all doing tonight?" Rose asked, speaking into the microphone. There was a loud cheer and she smiled before gulping down some water from her water bottle. "Awesome! That's what we like to hear. Alright before we to the last band tonight, we have one more song for you, so thank you so much. You all have been great."<p>

"This one's a favorite of ours. It's called 'Home' by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros," Flynn announced, before the band began to play the song.

"_Alabama Arkansas I do Love my Ma and Pa  
>Not the way that I do Love you<em>

_Holy Moly Me oh My your the apple of my eye_  
><em>Girl I've never loved one like you<em>

_Man o Man your my best friend I scream it to the nothingness_  
><em>there ain't nothing that I need<em>

_Hot and Heavy pumpkin pie_  
><em>Chocolate candy Jesus Christ<em>  
><em>Ain't nothing please me more than you"<em>

"I didn't know Flynn could sing," Haley said, looking over at her cousin Victoria.

"Yeah, me either and I live with him," Victoria said back, as the two girls exchanged glances.

"So how are things with Tyler?" Haley asked, glancing over to where both Tyler and Owen were. They had been waiting in line to buy some water, leaving the two girls to talk on their own.

"They're fine," Victoria shrugged.

"Just fine?" Haley asked back.

Victoria sighed, "It's getting really hard to keep this hunting thing from him…"

"I can imagine," Haley replied.

"No, it's gotten worse. He's started asking me about stuff. Like when Mom was helping his dad with the demon thing, he thought they were having an affair!" Victoria exclaimed.

"What?" Haley asked, her eyes widening.

"Yeah, and then earlier today he almost saw Grandpa John's journal," Victoria replied.

"What were you doing with it at school?" Haley exclaimed.

"I don't know! I've been cramming ever chance I can get," Victoria said, worriedly.

"Yikes," Haley said.

"No shit," Victoria replied.

Across the room, John and Renee, and Cole and Greer were standing together and listening to the music in their own little coupledom.

"God, you look amazing tonight," John smirked, his hands on Renee's hips.

Renee giggled, "John, stop it. Your parents are here."

"So? It's not like they're-," John said, before something distracted him. There it was again: the smell of sulfur and that feeling like he was being watched. He turned around and saw a shadow but nothing there. The shadow seemed to be heading towards the back alley. He couldn't take it anymore. "I'll be right back, Renee."

"Everything okay?" Renee asked.

"Yeah, it's fine," he lied, shooting her a weak smile, before heading over to the back door.

"Where do you think you're going?" John heard a voice ask sternly. He turned around, wide eyes, as he saw his dad. He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Just out back."

"You see it too, don't you?" his father asked.

"Yeah," John admitted.

"Alright, but don't tell your mother. I told her she had nothing to worry about when I told her I'd take care of this," Dean said.

"Don't worry, Dad. I won't," John said, smiling a little. There was always that thrill before the hunt, like a lion stalking its prey. This son of a bitch demon was out of luck on this one. There was no way this thing would hold its own against John and Dean, who were both eager to get it out of the way.

The two men headed outside to the back alley behind the brewery to, no surprise, find that no one was there.

"Seriously? Why do demons pull this kind of shit? What's the point in hiding anyways?" John asked.

"It's just the element of surprise that they like. Demons are melodramatic," Dean growled, on guard. "Here." Dean pulled out the demon-killing knife in his pocket and handed it John.

"You came prepared," John noticed.

"I've been carrying that thing around ever since your birthday party – well, when your mom doesn't have it," Dean replied.

"Gotcha," John replied, guiltily. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help but think back to his eighteenth birthday. Okay, so maybe he felt like it was his fault… a lot. They should've been prepared for something like that! With what was going on and the fact that he knew Cas' cloaking wore off when he turned eighteen. They should've seen it coming…

"John, look out!" he heard his dad yell as John felt himself being jerked backwards. Someone had grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him backwards. On instinct, John, grabbed the wrist of the person, and then twister their arms, causing whoever it was to let go and recoil in pain.

"Nice, son!"

"Thanks, Dad!"

The woman's eyes flashed black, before she charged towards him. John blocked the punch she threw and then threw one of his own, causing her to stagger backwards just enough so that Dean could sideline her, pinning her to the wall. The demon tried to catch her breath while John pulled the knife out, handing it to his dad.

"What do you want?" Dean growled.

"Oh come on, Dean-o. I thought you were smarter than that. Put two and two together," the demon replied.

"Why us? I don't even know you! Isn't this some revenge thing?" Dean growled.

"Please. You're Winchesters! Aren't we always after you?" the demon laughed, her eyes flashing black as she glanced over at John. John shrugged. She had a point there.

"It has something to do with the prophecy doesn't it?" Dean asked, as he noticed the glance the demon shot John.

"Yeah. And it's too bad, really. He's so pretty," she said, a wicked smile spreading across her face. Dean was about to stab her when suddenly, the demon flew from the young woman's body. Dean let go of her, and then caught her again as she fell to the floor.

The woman blinked a couple of times, looking around, "Where am I!"

"It's okay. You're in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We'll get you to the hospital," Dean said, helping her up.

"Oh my God! I think I broke my wrist!" the girl squealed.

"It's okay. Come on," Dean said, nodding over to John. John rushed to her side, helping the girl walk.

"Do you have anyone we can call?" John asked.

"Uh, if we were in Rhode Island maybe," the girl shot back.

"Oh," John said. "Well, we'll get you to the hospital and then uh, I'm sure a cab will take you to the airport. Do you remember anything?"

"No. I just remember this smell, like rotten eggs, and then this black smoke. And the next thing that happened-, I, it was like I was looking down and watching myself do these awful things. I just couldn't control any of it," the girl replied, horrified as she began to remember.

John and Dean exchanged glances. "Maybe we'll get you to the psych ward too. How about that?" Dean proposed.

As Dean and John walked the girl to the Impala to take her to the hospital, the two of them realized that these demons weren't planning on leaving them alone anytime soon. They were going to have follow through to the very end of this one.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> A filler chapter, again. Sorry! But I have much to come. Only about 8 chapters left and then the sequel. Question: If I wrote a sequel, would you read it? I have so much planned (even new characters) for the sequel!  
>Thank you so much to Record 7, Deangirl93, MissECharlotte, dandy44, TiffanyKai, and elisitax21 for reviewing the previous chapter. You really do keep my writing :) as cheesy as that is.<p> 


	39. Challenges Ahead

"I'm going to get some more water. Can I get you anything?" John asked Renee as he got up from their lunch table.

"Another water would be great, thanks," Renee replied.

"I'll be back, darling," John joked, kissing Renee's cheek. She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Oh please, you love me."

"Really?" Renee challenged, playfully, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah, actually. I think it has something to do with my dashingly good looks and my heart of gold," he joked.

"It just gets me every time," Renee replied, jokingly pretending to cry. The two exchanged glances before laughing.

"Awkward," Greer interjected, breaking the moment between John and Renee.

"I'm going to go now," John finally said.

"Hey, I'll come with you, man," Cole added, standing up too. "Greer, you want anything?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she answered, as she and Renee watched as the boys walked away.

"Mama Winchester so raised him right," Greer remarked about John, once the boys were gone.

"Uh, other Mama Winchester as well," Renee countered. "Cole is probably one of the last few, very rare gentlemen left on this planet."

"Yeah, but you two are so married," Greer said.

"What?" Renee exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Uh yeah: the way you two joke around with each other, the way he calls you 'babe', the way he teases you… you and John are so married!" Greer exclaimed.

"No-, we're- we're so not- okay, slow down, girl," Renee stammered.

"Admit it. You notice it too," Greer said.

"Uh, I think this is very 'pot calling kettle black', missy. Do you really want me to bring up the fact that you have an apartment and Cole stays over like every weekend? I don't know. When two people practically live together, cook dinner together-," Renee started.

"Okay, okay! I get it," Greer laughed.

Renee was silent as she thought over what Greer had said about her and John. Did they really seem married? Her parents and John's parents had always joked about how one day they were going to get married, and of course she had thought about it for the future, but now that she thought about them now, how much would really change? Not that she was seriously thinking of marrying John now. But how cheesy would it be for her to marry her best friend, not to mention her high school sweetheart. And just out of high school? That would be ridiculous… wouldn't it?

"You really think we act like a married couple?" Renee asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Walsh. I wouldn't have brought it up if I knew you'd go psychoanalyze yourself," Greer replied.

"I was not-," Renee protested.

"Please, I know you better than that," Greer shot back, playfully.

Renee chuckled, "Hey, since when do you know my psychoanalyzing face?"

"Since… I don't know," Greer shrugged.

"We're kinda friends, huh?" Renee joked.

"Kinda," Greer replied, before both girls laughed.

"I feel like we missed something," both girls heard a voice say.

"What? No," Renee said, shortly.

"You guys are weird," John said.

"Nah, we were just having a… female equivalent of a bromantic moment," Greer explained.

"Hey, they should have a word for that," Cole said.

"Right?" Greer asked.

"Mm. Girl on girl action. I'm down with that," John smirked. Greer laughed while Renee hit him playfully.

"Dude!" Cole exclaimed.

"What?" John asked innocently. "I'm just saying. The two of us happen to be dating some very attractive women."

"That's my girlfriend!" Cole protested.

"Thank you, baby," Greer smiled, leaning in and kissing him once.

"Aw, come on guys," John groaned.

Greer shook her head, "You started it with the whole girl on girl action thing, dude. This is kind of your fault."

John looked to Renee for reassurance but she just shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"You guys suck!"

* * *

><p>After school, Victoria and Tyler had plans to hang out around his house. She knew they couldn't hang out at hers seeing as there was demon stuff all over the place and it would be way too easy for Tyler to see something. Victoria, cell phone in hand, made her way across her lawn, over to the Gallaghers'. She walked down the driveway and to the front door, knocking three times while she waited for someone to answer the door. Just then, she got a text.<p>

**Tyler: Hey, I'm running late. I'll be in there in five.**

"Victoria," she heard a voice say, causing her to look up from her phone.

"I was supposed to meet Tyler but he's not home yet. You know, I can come back later if=," Victoria started.

"Oh no. It's fine. Why don't you come in?" Bryan proposed.

"Sure," Victoria answered, stepping inside the house and following Bryan to the kitchen. "Is Paige home?"

"No, she's out with uh… Ian," Bryan replied.

"Oh," Victoria sounded. _Whore._Victoria tried not to laugh at her thought, but she still hated what Paige did to her brother. Not cool.

"I hope you don't mind. I was in the middle of making dinner," Bryan said, going over to the kitchen counter and resuming his slicing of vegetables. "Have a seat."

"Thanks," Victoria replied, wearily as she sat down at their kitchen table.

"You know, sometimes the secret to good cooking is just having a great knife," Bryan remarked, rather amused. Okay, what was going on?

"What? So once you retired, you figured knives were for cooking, not for shapeshifters?" Victoria asked, jokingly. Bryan looked up from his cutting board. "Sorry… joke. Sometimes I do this thing where I speak way before I can even process what I'm about to say."

Bryan sighed, "It's okay. I uh, I had a feeling you'd say something like that. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah," Bryan replied. And then he left a silence in the room, not saying anything as he chopped up the vegetables.

_Chop. Chop. Chop._That's all Victoria heard and it was about to drive her crazy.

"You don't like the fact that I'm getting involved with this, do you?" Victoria asked, breaking the silence. _Tyler, where are you, damnit?_

"Honestly?" Bryan asked. Victoria nodded. "No. I hate it. That's why I kept our children away from it. That's why I'm… keeping them away from it."

"Fair enough, but this has nothing to do with me," Victoria said.

Bryan shook his head, "You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?" Victoria asked back, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew it was a physical defense mechanism of hers and she honestly didn't care if Bryan noticed. He was making her feel uncomfortable by putting her on edge like this.

"You're a huge part of my son's life. He likes you a lot, Victoria, and you being around him, especially with this battle on the horizon, he's bound to find out eventually," Bryan explained.

"I've been really careful around him, you know? I have to lie to him every time he asks about something… it's not easy…" Victoria trailed off, trying not to get defensive. She had been working her ass off to try to keep the family secret from Tyler and it bothered her that Tyler's dad acted like she was blatantly flaunting it in front of Tyler.

"What happens if you slip up?" Bryan questioned. It was a fair question but it still bothered her.

"I-," Victoria started, but stopped talking. She knew what Bryan was suggesting. "So that's it? You want me to break up with him?"

Bryan finally looked up once more from his cutting board, "All I'm asking you to do is to leave him out of this. Don't drag Tyler into it. Your family may be different. You may be able to balance normal and the hunter's life, but Tyler was never meant to be a hunter."

Victoria opened her mouth to say something but she didn't know what to say. Bryan had a point – a very important point – and part of her couldn't help but feel like he was right.

"Just something for you to think about," Bryan replied, simply.

That hit Victoria like a ton of bricks. It stung like a thousand wasps. It was a verbal slap in the face. How could he be so heartless about this? Then again, he was protecting his family just like she would protect hers. Could she really blame him?

But it sure didn't take away from any of the pain…

"Hey, so sorry we're late. There was a huge line at the grocery store but we're back now," Kitty said, coming through the front door with Tyler. The two came into the kitchen, bags of groceries in their hands.

"Hey, Dad," Tyler said, casually, dropping the bags on the counter. He then shot Victoria small smile, "Hey, you."

"Hey," Victoria replied, shooting him a faint smile. "Need any help, Mrs. Gallagher?"

"Oh no, sweetie, I've got it! Will you be staying for dinner?" Kitty asked.

"I-, I don't know," Victoria stammered, glancing over at her boyfriend's father. He really had given her something to think about.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Jude awoke to small kisses being left on his neck. The all too familiar mouth traveled down to his collarbone, then his chest. Jude smirked, as he opened his eyes.<p>

"There's a girl in my bed!" he exclaimed, jokingly.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Anna winked.

"Good morning," Jude said, as Anna moved back up, kissing him on the lips.

"Morning," she giggled, smiling into the kiss. Jude grabbed the back of her head, kissing her deeply but shortly after, Anna pulled away. Jude looked at her questioningly. He hoped he hadn't done something wrong. "As much as I'd like to spend all day in bed with you, I can't. I've got a class in an hour and we haven't even had breakfast yet."

"So skip breakfast and we'll spend that hour in bed," Jude suggested, a lazy, sexy grin plastered on his face.

Anna's heart skipped a beat. Damn, that grin! That grin was going to get him everything, but not today. She knew it was important for her to go to class today since they were covering something she knew would be on the upcoming final.

"I can't. Some of us have classes before twelve, you know? Come on. I'll make your favorite," Anna replied.

"Waffles?" Jude asked.

"Of course," Anna answered in a 'well-duh' tone. Jude chuckled. This woman knew him so well. He sat up, stretching out. He was still extremely sore from the hunt he had gone on last night… and those stitches…

"Oh my God, Jude!"

Jude guessed that Anna had seen his little self-stitching work, "What?"

"Did you do this last night?" She asked, crawling across the bed and over to a shirtless Jude, who sat at the edge of the bed.

"Yeah," Jude shrugged, casually.

"Jude!" she scolded.

"What? I'm a med student!" Jude defended.

"Almost a med student," Anna corrected.

"Speaking of-," Jude started.

"Don't change the subject! Why didn't you wake me up? I could've done it for you," Anna asked.

Jude shook his head, "Nah, I didn't want to wake you up. It's fine. It's not like it's the first time I've done it."

Anna bit her lip as her stomach churned. She hated the fact that Jude was being sucked back into all of this hunting. Ever since the attack on Jude's brother's birthday, Jude had been hunting almost every week, sometimes several times in just one week, and she knew it was killing him.

"How does that feel?" she asked, as she began to massage his shoulders.

"So good," Jude sighed, closing his eyes. Jude had always been told he had a choice when it came to hunting, but he knew in this, that he really didn't. This was his family and if something was trying to mess with them, he was determined to stop it. And maybe this was it. Maybe this was the big thing that he and John were supposed to stop – maybe this would fulfill that prophecy. _Stupid prophecy_. "I have to do this don't I?"

"Yeah," Anna sighed.

"I mean, they're my family. I can't just turn my back on them like this," Jude said. It was almost as if he had to explain himself to her.

"No, no. I know…" Anna trailed off. "It's okay. You don't have to explain yourself to me."

_"Get out of my head, woman!"_ Jude thought to himself.

"Besides, it's kind of hot. You're kind of like my own superman," Anna said, a smile spreading across her lips. She was always good at finding the bright side of things. To be honest, Anna hated that Jude had to hunt, but she knew that it was important to him. She wanted to support him, even though she didn't really support hunting. Jude had had a normal life. They had talked about it many nights before all of this started. He wanted a normal life and to rock the whole white picket fence thing. She just wanted what was best for him.

"Well, when you think of it that way…" Jude smirked.

"Uh huh," Anna said, kissing him on the cheek. "Come on, Superman. Let's go make breakfast."

"I like it when you call me Superman," Jude grinned.

"Yeah, alright. I'm going to go before your ego suffocates us both," Anna teased, before walking out of the room. Jude laughed, rolling his eyes playfully and in a second, Anna was back, standing in the doorway, with a confused look on her face. "So does this make me Lois Lane?"

"I think so," Jude chuckled.

* * *

><p>"Alright… so what are we missing?" Meredith asked, as she, Sam, and Dean sat across from Meredith's demon hunting bulletin board, just staring at it.<p>

"Uh, how to kill it, for one," Dean replied.

"Dean, it's a demon. Don't all demons die the same way?" Sam chimed in.

"Yeah, but it's some kind of "first"," Dean replied.

"Okay, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. How can it be the first demon? Lillith was the first but all of the demons that we've faced have all referred to it as 'the first'," Meredith pondered.

"Don't hate me for bringing this up, but what if we can't kill him? What if it's like Lucifer where the only way was to trap him back into hell?" Sam asked.

Both Meredith and Dean looked over at Sam like 'really?'

"Sorry. Just a thought."

"Yeah… happy thoughts, Sammy. What happened to the Mr. Sunshine you used to be," Dean trailed off.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe part of him disappeared when I was trapped with Lucifer in his cage," Sam shot back.

"Alright, boys!" Meredith exclaimed, breaking it up. She had to admit, they were all a little on edge with this oncoming demon problem. "There's got to be a way… I guess that's the next thing we have to look for."

The three sat in silence, thinking it over. There was something they were overlooking – something they were missing. And that's when it hit Sam. His eyes widened and he straightened up.

"What? You got something, Sammy?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. What if Lillith wasn't really the first? What if Lillith was the first successful demon? You know. The devil tries to create demons but he need a couple of test dummies first – to get it right before he makes his 'first'. So what if this 'first' is really just Lucifer's test dummy," Sam offered up. He was definitely on to something.

"And if this 'first' guy was just a test dummy, it means he's a failed demon… so what if we can't kill him… you know the same way we usually kill demons?" Meredith asked.

Sam and Dean exchanged glances and both men said, "The colt."

"Okay, and where are we going to get the colt?" Meredith snapped. She bit her lip. She hated that she had been so on edge, but this whole demon problem was getting so frustrating.

"Crowley?" Sam suggested.

"Yeah…" Dean trailed off.

"Look, why don't we just wait a little. Gather more information. It's not like the first's demons are of shortage. You guys said you're getting attacked at least every week so we find out, get some answers, and then we go after the colt," Sam proposed.

"It's the best we have at the moment," Meredith agreed.

"What happened to punch first, ask later?" Dean asked.

"And risk someone getting hurt? Not this time, Dean," Meredith reasoned.

Dean sighed, "Alright then. Well, let's get some answers, get the colt, track down this son of a bitch, and kill him."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thank you so much to Deangirl93, Angeles, the two guest reviewers, MissECharlotte, elisitax21, and Dancing Dynasty for reviewing the last chapter. You guys seriously rock my socks off! I know that's an age old colloquialism but I still love it! There is much drama on the horizon so I hope you guys aren't getting too bored... I promise. The story is definitely ending with a big finish :)


	40. Sick of All the Insincere

"Going out, Mom?" John asked, seeing his mom make her way towards the front door. John had been sitting in the living room, just channel surfing. Meredith stopped and turned to look at her son.

"Oh, yeah. I was just going to run to the grocery store. We're out of milk," she answered.

"Where's Dad?" John asked back.

"He left about an hour ago for the garage. You know, that's what you get for staying out with your girlfriend, kid. You start missing things around here," Meredith teased.

John frowned, "I don't do it all the time!" Meredith just chuckled, before leaving the house and shutting the door behind her. The minute the door shut, John felt someone watching him.

"Now that we're alone…" the female voice said.

John turned around, demon killing knife in hand, "I've been waiting for you. You know, a person never really knows how creepy it is to feel watched all evening until it's actually happened to them. You are one creepy motherfucker."

"Winchesters," the demon growled, charging towards John, but before she could make any leeway, out of nowhere, Dean sidelined her, slamming her out of the way. The demon put him a fight, but Dean was able to back her into the den room, of course, with a few punches to the jaw thrown in. The demon fell to the floor and Dean shoved her and she lunged at him before stopping, her eyes widening. She looked up to see the demon trap on the ceiling. "Damnit."

"Damn it, is right," Dean snarled, rubbing his jaw.

"Croat or demon, because either way this thing will kill you?" John asked, using that witty Winchester gene that they all had, and waving the knife in the demon's face as he neared her. The demon swallowed, her jaw clenching. "Yeah, we've been waiting for you." John held the knife up and his mother, coming back into the room, took it from him.

"You know, I'm almost glad you and your father convinced me to use you as bait. It worked. Good work, kid," she said, taking the knife from John.

"We'll take it from here," Dean said, nodding for John to leave.

John nodded slowly, "You sure?"

"We're sure," Meredith answered.

"Alright. I'll be in the kitchen. Doing my math homework. So if any of you need anything… oh come on, guys! When do I ever do my math homework? Please?" John begged.

Meredith sighed and she and Dean exchanged glances before she responded, "Okay, but don't do anything rash."

"Yes!" John said, under his breath.

"Whatever it is you want, I'm not telling," the demon stated, strongly.

"Oh, okay. We can definitely arrange something then," Meredith said. She began to speak the exorcism and the demon began to cough as black smoke started to come out of her mouth.

"We know your secret," Dean said through gritted teeth.

"What secret?" the demon struggled to get out.

"The first isn't really the first. You see, this 'first' guy is really only the devil's botched up attempt at making a demon," Dean said, crossing his arms over his chest. The demon gasped as Meredith continued the exorcism.

"Stop! I'll tell you!" she begged. "Just stop!"

"Wow, they're not as stubborn as they used to be," Meredith said, amused.

"Used to be?" John asked.

"Yeah, long story," Dean replied. "So tell us. Everything we need to know."

"Why don't you just kill me? If I tell you, he'll kill me. If I don't tell you, you'll kill me. Either way, I lose. So what's in it for me?" the demon propositioned. Dean, John, and Meredith all exchanged glances before Dean spoke up.

"How about this? You tell us what we need to know and we'll make this as painless a process as possible. You back out? Well, you're the one under the demon trap so let's just I've got a flask of holy water right here," Dean said, pulling out the flask in his jacket.

The demon swallowed, eyeing the flask. Dean tossed the flask to John and John caught it effortlessly.

"Does this confession involve actual words because if not, we have all the time in the world?" Meredith asked, coldly. After a long silence of thinking over her options, the demon finally spoke.

"Fine. You're right about the first. It doesn't mean he's any weaker than the rest of us. He's actually stronger. He's spent all of his life hiding and building himself up – overcompensating for the fact that he was looked at as lesser than the rest of us. But now the first is stronger than all of us and I can't wait until he kills all of you hunters. All of you! You deserve it," she said.

"So why us? Why our family?" Dean asked.

"You're Winchesters! And the first knows that if anyone can take him down, it'll be you. The prophecy? Oh, the first is well aware of the prophecy. So he sends us every week. And don't think the fact that our kind never returns from these missions. He knows you're a lot stronger than he expected so he's prepared. He's going to take your sons of bitches down. It's too bad I won't be there to see it, knowing you-," the demon continued.

"Is that all?" John interrupted, holding up the flask.

"That's all, you worthless-," the demon spat.

"Ah. I don't think so," Meredith said.

"Fine. It's time for you to hold up your end of the bargain," the demon said, narrowing her eyes.

"Mer, take it away," Dean said.

"My pleasure," Meredith said back, glaring at the demon. She started the exorcism, speaking it so quickly that the demon barely had time to feel the pain. The black smoke flew out of the host's body and out of the house as the girl collapsed to the floor. There sat a girl, scared and helpless.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You're in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Come on. We'll get you to the hospital," John said, going to help her up.

"Well, the first picked some loyal followers, huh?" Dean asked, sarcastically.

"Yeah, well her lack of loyalty was our gain," Meredith replied. "I'll take John and the girl to the hospital. You go check on the twins, okay?"

"Okay," Dean agreed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, almost everyone had finished breakfast and was upstairs getting dressed and ready for the school day. Dean, on the other hand, had just gotten up and was making his coffee as his wife came into the kitchen, fully dressed.<p>

"Hi, you," she said, kissing him once as she tidied up the kitchen table, wiping it down with a damp paper towel.

"Morning," Dean said, his eyes following his wife wherever she moved.

Meredith spotted a pair of shoes lying on the floor. She scowled, "How many times have I told Victoria not leave her shoes all over the place?" She bent down to pick them up as Dean stared right at her ass. "Oh, and by the way, I won't be home right on time after school. I have to run to Bed, Bath and Beyond quickly."

"I'd like you in my bed, bath, and beyond," Dean smirked. Meredith stood up, whipping around to look at him.

"Dean, what're you-," she started.

"Baby, have ever I told you how hot you are on a hunt? I mean, this one wasn't really a hunt but, damn, baby," he smirked.

"Dean, we can't do this right now," she blushed, averting her eyes from Dean's.

Dean licked his lips, moving towards his wife, "We have time before school. John's taking the twins into school anyways and he has to go in early to make up a quiz." Dean wrapped his arms her waist, pulling her in closer to him.

Meredith glanced at the clock, extremely tempted by his offer, "We do have time…" Dean trailed his fingers up and down Meredith's sides, causing her to giggle and bite her lip.

"And you look so sexy when you're biting your lip like that," Dean said, his voice husky and deep.

"Hey, Mom have you seen my-, oh, there are my black flats!" Victoria said, spotting the shoes that her mom held in her hands. Then Victoria realized what was going on. "I'll just uh… take my shoes." Victoria was thoroughly weirded out, took her shoes, and quickly left.

"Hey, let's go. Now," Victoria demanded, quietly to John.

"Why?" John asked.

"Mom and Dad are having one of their gross, weird moments and I'd just rather not be in the house for it," Victoria shuddered.

"Alright," John said.

"Hey, ready to go?" Flynn asked, coming downstairs where John and Victoria stood at the end of the steps, right across from the front door.

"Yep," John said. "Mom, Dad, we're leaving!"

"Okay," Meredith and Dean both shouted back.

Meredith and Dean both heard the front door slam, and in an instant, were all over each other.

"Okay, but you've got fifteen minutes," Meredith panted in between kisses.

"I can do it in ten," Dean winked, pushing her up against the kitchen cabinets and lifting her on top of the counters. Dean pulled away, just long enough for a mischievous smile to form on Meredith's face before his mouth was instantly on hers again.

At school, Meredith and Dean showed up about ten minutes before classes started and were perfectly okay, but Victoria on the other hand, was majorly disturbed.

"Hey, what's with you?" Haley asked, seeing her cousin in the hallway on their way to their first period English class.

"I've had a rough morning," was all Victoria could say.

"Aw, what's up?" Haley asked, concerned.

"Uh… we bolted out of there early this morning because I was pretty sure that my parents were about to go at it. They, of course, showed up later than us so, just ew. I actually walked in on them in the middle of a moment and-, just be thankful that your parents aren't as bad as mine are!" Victoria said, having trouble forming coherent sentences about what was bothering her.

"Oh. That's… quite a morning," Haley said.

"Uh huh," Victoria said.

"Hey," a voice said, as she felt an arms slip around her shoulders.

"Hey," Victoria said, her eyes lighting up as soon as she saw Tyler.

"And that's my cue to leave. Sorry about this morning, Vi. I'll see you in English," Haley said, before parting from her cousin to get a seat in English class.

"What's up?" Victoria asked.

"Not much. Listen, can I talk to you about something?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, is everything okay?" Victoria asked back.

"You'd tell me if something was going on at home, right?" Tyler asked, concerned. Victoria saw the worried look in his eyes and on his face and she feared what he was going to say next.

"Yeah, why?" she replied.

"Okay, don't think I'm crazy, but I could've sworn I heard something last night coming from your house. Like… a scream?" Tyler said. Shit.

"Oh. Yeah. It's no big deal, really, Tyler. See, John was watching some horror movie last night and forced me to watch it with him so not only was the volume turned up way loud but I got kinda freaked out as well. I'm so sorry. I didn't know we were bothering you guys!" Victoria said, thinking of the lie as she said it.

"Oh. So… everything's okay?" Tyler asked.

"Everything's fine! But it's cute that you care so much," Victoria said, attempting to distract him by being all girly and coupley with him.

Tyler smiled, "I just got worried about you. That's all."

"I'm a big girl, Tyler. I can take care of myself," Victoria reassured. "But since you're feeling so chivalrous today, would you like to walk me to class?"

"Yeah," Tyler answered.

Victoria wasn't quite sure that he was convinced, but it was enough for her to avoid the questions now. She was getting really sick of having to lie to Tyler, especially since this whole 'first' demon thing felt like it was getting closer and closer. Not only that, but she was getting more and more involved and he kept asking more and more questions. Victoria thought back to her conversation with Bryan Gallagher. As much as she disliked him for that, she knew he had a point. Was it only going to get harder to do this? Bryan was right. Victoria couldn't drag him into this. She knew that she had to do _something_before anyone got hurt.

* * *

><p>After school, Cole headed over to Greer's apartment. He knocked on the door and he could hear footsteps towards the door, but he also heard Greer talking. She opened it, smiling at him and holding a cell phone to her ear. She nodded to signal him to come inside but she was talking to whoever was on the other end of the line.<p>

"Yeah, I'd really love to. I'll definitely consider it. Alright, I'll talk to you later, Mom. I love you too. Bye," she said, before hanging up the phone. Greer closed the door behind Cole and they two of them stood in the small hallway leading to her apartment. "Hi." She stood on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Hey, was that your Mom?" Cole asked.

"Uh huh," she replied. "Here, come inside." Greer led Cole to her kitchenette area dining table and curled up in the chair that she had been doing homework in. Cole sat down next to her and he had a feeling that she had something to tell him – something wasn't going to be easy for either of them.

"I've actually been talking to my mom a lot recently. I mean, not just regular check up phone calls but about demon stuff and uh… about my living situation for next year," Greer started.

"What about it?" Cole asked. It's not like he thought she would stay ever since she went to find her mom, but he hadn't really thought about her leaving either.

"Well, you and I both know that I'm going to California for the summer, but we've also been talking about coming to live with her… you know, for the school year as well," Greer said, biting her lip.

"Oh. Well, do you think you're going to?" Cole asked.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I mean, of course I want to! She's my mom and I want to get to know her better, but I have a life here… and you're here, Cole. And, I honestly don't know what I would've done without you this year," Greer confessed. "Look, it's just an option, you know? Something to think about. It's not like I have to make a decision any time soon."

"Right. Well, if it counts, I'd understand if you went," Cole said, as hard as it was to say that. He just wanted what was best for her, even though he wanted her to stay here. "They're your family, Greer."

And Cole knew how important family was.

"Really?" Greer asked.

"Yeah. Why so surprised?" Cole chuckled.

She sighed, "You're too good to me, Cole Winchester. If I do go, you're going to make it hard as hell."

* * *

><p>That evening, Jude was demon free and had found himself at the library, finally making time to study the way he should be studying.<p>

"You know, I told the lady at the help desk that I was looking for more of a Mr. Darcy kind of guy, and she sent me to Edward Cullen. Huh. I guess we all have to deal with life's disappointments," Anna joked, upon seeing Jude studying, his brow furrowed, and buried in the book he was reading.

"What?" Jude asked, looking up.

"Never mind," Anna chuckled.

"I can't believe you called me Edward!" Jude protested, refusing to change the subject.

"Then quit brooding," she teased, kicking him playfully under the table.

"I happen to be studying," Jude defended, playfully.

"I know. And you know how cute I think it is when you focus and your eyebrows do that thing," Anna replied, imitating what Jude's face did when he was focused. Jude laughed at her imitation and pushed the chair across him out with his foot.

"Sit. You look like you have a hidden agenda. What's up?" Jude asked.

"What?" Anna exclaimed.

"You've got that look when you want to ask me something but it's important so you're nervous," Jude shrugged, casually.

"You shouldn't know my looks like that," Anna said.

"We _loove_ each other," Jude said in a sing song voice.

She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully, "Okay, yeah. There is something I want to ask you…"

"If you're going to ask me to marry you, I expect a 12 carat canary diamond to follow," Jude joked.

"Jude!" she exclaimed, kicking him under the table and laughing.

"Sorry. Proceed," Jude said.

"So I got a call from my parents the other day. They're coming to town in two weeks and they want to have dinner so I was wondering if you'd come with me. I'd be able to finally introduce you to them as my boyfriend and tell them about going to U Penn together. And you know, you would be there, well, to provide love and support because my parents are scary…" Anna trailed off. "But you don't have to, of course! I'd just love it if you were-."

"Of course, Anna," Jude replied.

"Yeah?" Anna asked, letting a sigh of relief out.

"Yes," Jude chuckled.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Things are heating up! Warning: Next chapter is a mix of lighter material and then some more sad stuff. So you'll just have to wait and see! I wasn't 100% satisfied with Meredith and Dean in the chapter. I was afraid they came off as a little too heartless, but I figured they'd go all mama and papa lion on the demon, especially since this was the bajillionth demon that attacked them. That and they needed the information. I really can't wait for you all to read the ending. Oh, how the drama is good.

Thank you so much to Record 7, Deangirl93, elisitax21, Tiffany Kai, and Miss E Charlotte for reviewing the previous chapter. We are at the cusp of 200 reviews so help me get to 200! Again, thank you so much. I couldn't ask for better readers.


	41. The Importance of Family

John got home, after school, his heart racing. He wouldn't have come home this early today. In fact, if he had had it his way, he would've stayed out as long as he could, but his family had made such a big deal out of it that he had a feeling that they'd open the letters before him. Yes, letters. College acceptance letters – to be specific.

"Alright, I'm home. Drop the letters," John said, shutting the front door behind him. He walked into the living room to find his parents and the twins holding up the envelopes to lamps and trying to read through the envelope. "Seriously, guys?"

"We couldn't wait!" Flynn shrugged.

"Here. Go ahead, kiddo," Dean said, handing John the letter he had. The rest of the family threw the letters down on the coffee table.

"Okay, you guys are making me nervous! Go in the kitchen and I'll open all of them. I'll tell you the results," John ordered.

"Sweetheart-," his mom protested.

"Please, Mom," John said.

She sighed, "Whatever happens, just know that we love you-."

"Alright, alright, I get it, but you guys have now made me nervous so just let me do this, okay?" John chuckled.

"Alright," Meredith replied. "Come on, guys." The rest of the Winchesters went into the kitchen and waited patiently for John to begin opening his college letters while Victoria remained in the living room. John turned around to look at her.

"As much as I love you, Vi, you've got to go too," John said.

"I know. I just wanted to give you this one in person," Victoria said, attempting to hide her smile. She pulled out the big, navy blue envelope from Drexel University and handed it to John, causing his jaw to drop to the floor.

"It's a big envelope," he said, holding it in his hands.

"I'm just going to be in here if you need me," Victoria said, grinning as she walked away from John.

"Okay, this one last. Just open all the rest first and-, oh who are you kidding?" John asked himself, tearing through the envelope. He pulled the whole stack of papers out, letting the brochures fall to the floor. He read the words over and over again, making sure this was all real.

He took a deep breath before putting it down and opening the others. He went into the kitchen, holding the Drexel letter and nothing else.

"Well?" Meredith asked, practically jumping out of her seat when she saw her son.

"It's a yes from Sioux Falls, Notre Dame, and USC, but it's a no from Berkley. But none of that matters because I got into Drexel!" John exclaimed.

"Oh my God!" Victoria jumped up practically attacking John and smothering him in her hug. "Congratulations!" Once she pulled away, Meredith was next.

"Wh-, congratulations, sweetie, but I didn't even know you applied to Drexel," Meredith congratulated, chuckling a little and pulling her son into her arms.

"Yeah, it was a last minute thing," John said, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't think I'd get in so I felt like there was no purpose in getting anyone's hopes up. Well, except for Victoria's."

"You told her?" Flynn exclaimed. "Dude!"

"Sorry. I was having a chick flick moment and needed a chick," John replied.

"Hey!" Victoria exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Fair enough," Flynn nodded. Victoria rolled her eyes at both of her brothers.

"Congratulations, son. That's a lot of acceptances right there. I'm proud of you," Dean said.

"Yeah, congrats, man," Flynn said, patting him on the back.

"And that's not all," John began.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I knew you guys would worry about money, seeing as you've got one kid going to med school and two going off to college, so I applied for some scholarships… and I got money. I got a lot of money," John said, grinning proudly from ear to ear.

"Let me see that!" Meredith exclaimed, grabbing the letter from John. She read over the congratulations words but then moved down to scholarships. "Oh my God."

"What?" Flynn asked. Dean peeked over his wife's shoulder, his eyes widening as he read the words.

"We'd pay as much to send you there as sending you to University of Sioux Falls. John, this is incredible!" Dean exclaimed.

"Well, some of it was need based, and some of it was SAT scores because you guys know my GPA sucks and there's no way that I'd get money for-," John started.

"Oh, please," Victoria reasoned.

"And apparently they even have a little bit of money the award to out of staters," John said.

"So… do you want to go to Drexel?" Meredith asked.

"Hell, and pay this kind of money? I'm all for it," Dean answered.

John nodded, "Yeah, I think I do. I really do…"

Victoria looked over at John and the two shared a smile.

"You did it," she mouthed.

"Thank you," he mouthed back.

_~Flashback~_

_Victoria sat on her bedroom floor and she reorganized her binder. School was out on winter break and she had a lot sort out before school started again. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her half open bedroom door and looked up._

_"Hey," she said, smiling as she saw her big brother, John, standing in the doorway to her room._

_"I think I just did something stupid," John said._

_"Okay, who'd you knock up this time?" Victoria teased._

_"This time? I've never-, never mind. I have to tell someone, okay? So… don't tell anyone. And don't even tell anyone we had this conversation because it's stupid. Promise?" John asked, pacing around the room._

_"Pinky swear," Victoria said, holding up her pinky for John. He stopped pacing and grabbed it with his pinky before letting go. He walked over to the door, shutting it and then letting out a big, dramatic sigh._

_"I applied to Drexel," John said._

_"And this is stupid… how?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"Oh come on. It's not like I'm going to get in!" John exclaimed._

_"You don't know that," Victoria reasoned._

_"My SAT scores were good but my GPA sucks," John pointed out._

_"College acceptances are based on a lot of things, not just the GPA," Victoria countered._

_John sighed, "I don't know. I wish I hadn't done it because now I'm going to think about it and get my hopes up, only to be rejected."_

_"Well, would you go if you got in?" Victoria questioned._

_"Yes, I would. Renee's top school is Swarthmore which is only thirty minutes away from Drexel, but now I'm just getting my hopes up. Thank you for that, hope getter upper!" John said crossly._

_"Awww, that's so sweet. You are such a chick flick. I'd so pay twelve dollars to go see you in theatres," Victoria smiled._

_"What? I am not a-, wait, really?" John asked, flattered._

_"Yeah," Victoria replied._

_"But you hate paying twelve dollars for one stupid movie," John pointed out._

_"I know, and that's why I always use dad's old trick. When we see one movie, we always accidentally find ourselves in another theatre after the first movie is over. Please, I've never paid real money to go see those stupid chick flicks. I will admit that they're just good dumb fun but twelve dollars? I don't think so," Victoria explained._

_"Well… that means a lot to me. I think," John said._

_Victoria laughed, "Look, when you get in, we'll celebrate-."_

_"Uh uh. Nope. I'm leaving now. You're just getting my hopes up," John said, starting to leave._

_"Chick flick!" Victoria called after him._

_"Hope getter upper!" John yelled back._

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

><p>]"Oh my God," Jude smiled, as he got the picture that his mom sent to his cell phone of John holding up the Drexel acceptance letter. "Nice. Way to go, little brother."<p>

Jude pushed the already rolled up sleeves of his button down up to his elbows as he made his way to the car that he had worked freshmen, sophomore, and junior year to be able to buy. Jude got in the car, adjusting the rear view mirror, and then drove out of the parking deck to the restaurant. The restaurant they were meeting at, Barclay Prime, was only about six minutes away so he figured there was no way he would be late.

He was wrong.

Jude drove down the street and realized that a policeman was following him. The siren lights were on.

"Shit," Jude swore to himself. So much for being on time. Jude made a right turn at the green light and slowly pulled over into the alleyway that the street led to. He had a feeling about this so he made sure he was prepared before rolling down the window. "Is there a problem, Officer?"

"Could you step out of the car for a second?" the policeman asked, dryly.

"Sure," Jude said, getting out of the car. He shut the door and stood up straight, his hand reaching into his pocket for the holy water in his flask.

"Did you know that you license plate is expired?" the officer asked.

"Really? Are you sure there's nothing else? Like… Cristo," Jude said. The policeman froze, turning around to look at Jude, his eyes black.

"I thought I smelled a Winchester," the policeman smirked.

"Damn straight," Jude said, opening the flask of holy water and splashing it onto the policeman's face. The demon screamed in agony, writhing in pain as Jude took the moment of weakness to shove the man into his car.

The demon began to recover and laughed wickedly, "The last place I'd think you'd want me would be anywhere close to you. You know that slut you're going to see? She doesn't love you. Never did. She thinks you're a sorry, excuse for a man who'll never be normal. Freak."

"You know, the funny thing about you demons is that you always think you've got the last laugh," Jude said, ignoring the demon. He then nodded upwards to the roof of his car, where he had painted on a devil's trap, just in case. The devil's laugh turned into a snarl as he attempted to move, but couldn't.

Jude loudly spoke the exorcism over the demon's yells and protest, and soon enough, it had been exorcised from the policeman's body. Jude waited, holding his breath for the man to wake up, accusing him of doing something to him, but he didn't. The man just lay there. Jude's heart pounded in his chest. He got out of the car and went around the side, opening the door, and checking for a pulse.

He let out a sigh of relief when he found the faintest pulse. Jude quickly pulled his phone out and dialed 911 when almost instantly, he felt a hand grabbing his shoulder, causing him to drop the cell phone. He turned around to see either a demon or croat ripping him backwards, causing Jude to struggle for his balance and footing. The demon threw a punch to Jude's face, causing him to stagger backwards, running into the wall. The demon came towards him, but instead, he ducked, immediately going into offensive mode.

"Hello? Hello? We'll send a car over," the voice on the cell phone finally announced when there was no response.

"Didn't you think we'd bring back up?" the man asked. "After you've easily polished us off when the first sent one, it was only sensible to bring more this time."

Jude had the demon in a headlock, but somehow, the demon grabbed Jude's arm and wriggled out of the hold. Jude took a few steps forward, swinging a punch and causing the man to fall to the ground. Jude glanced back at the car praying that the policeman would hold on for longer, but it was just long enough for the demon or croat to have the upper hand. He grabbed Jude, slamming him against the wall of the building and began to punch him the hell out of him.

Suddenly, a gun shot rang out, causing Jude to freeze, and the man to fall to the ground.

"Fucking croat," Jude swore under his breath.

"You okay, sir?" the real policeman asked.

"Yeah," Jude managed to get out, rubbing his jaw. He reached up to touch his forehead where he felt blood trickling down.

"What happened?" he asked, just as the ambulance pulled up to the scene.

"This uh, I got pulled over for an expired license plate and all of a sudden this guy came up to the both of us. He started beating the policeman so I fought him off. Thought he was out. Tried to get the policeman in the car to take him to the hospital but turns out this guy wasn't out yet. I tried to fight again and called 911 but this guy definitely put a good fight," Jude made up, coming up with a story close enough to what happened.

"A good fight? If we hadn't gotten here in time, he would've pummeled you to death," the policeman said, looking at Jude's bruises. "Come on. Why don't you let the paramedics take a look?"

"No. Not me. Take a look at the officer. I think he's a lot worse off than me," Jude said, trying to catch his breath.

"Okay. Him first, then you," the policeman said.

"I can't. I've got to be somewhere," Jude protested.

"Sit down, boy!" the policeman ordered.

Jude cursed himself for being late to dinner with Anna's parents but what exactly what he supposed to do?

* * *

><p>"Alright, what is this big surprise you have?" Renee asked, as John led her out to the Falls Park, a brown bag in his hand and Renee's hand in his other hand.<p>

"Did you bring that picnic blanket I asked you to bring?" John asked back.

"Yeah, okay, I figured that much but you made it sound like a really big deal," Renee replied.

"That's because tonight is a really big deal," John replied.

Renee shot him a funny look as the two of them stopped. Renee laid out the picnic blanket while John emptied out the little take-out boxes onto the picnic blanket along with plastic ware.

"I went to the little hole-in-the-wall Indonesian place that you love so much and got take out," John said.

"Man, you think of everything," Renee said.

"I thought we could celebrate," John shrugged.

"And what might we be celebrating, Winchester?" Renee asked, curiously raising an eyebrow.

"Well, as you know, today was the whole college acceptance day thing," John said, casually. His heart ached to tell her but he wanted to make this last. He wanted it to be a really big deal when he told her he was going to Pennsylvania with her and he thought dragging it out would only make it better.

"Yeah, you never told me where you got in," Renee said back.

Renee was honestly dreading this whole college thing. She had gotten into Swarthmore, and knew she was going, but she knew that John hadn't applied anywhere in Pennsylvania. Her stomach was tied up in knots just thinking about them being in different places. They had grown up together! She couldn't imagine not being with him… but she also couldn't see them doing the whole long distance shebang.

"No, you first," John said.

"I got in, John. I'm going to Swarthmore," Renee said, biting her lip.

"Babe, that's amazing!" John exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. He pulled her in for a congratulatory kiss, but didn't let it linger for long because he couldn't wait to tell her about his news. "I'm glad we have something to celebrate tonight."

"So what about you?" Renee asked, nervously.

"Yeah… well, I got into a few good places: Sioux Falls, USC, Notre Dame-," John listed.

"John, that's great! Who cares about Berkeley anyways? Berkeley's for hippies. Honestly, I couldn't see you going there anywhere and you could still be in California at USC, you know? But that's great that we get to celebrate your acceptances. It's so exciting. It's-," Renee rambled, trying to keep her mind off of worrying about the future.

"You didn't let me finish," John replied, amused. He could tell Renee was nervous. She looked up at him, almost forgetting to breathe. What was he about to tell her?

"I didn't tell anyone but Victoria because I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I applied to Drexel… and I got in. They're giving me a lot of money and I talked to my parents about. I want to come to Pennsylvania with you, Renee."

"Really?" Renee asked, in shock.

"Yeah," John replied.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. John, you scared the hell out of me!" Renee exclaimed, smacking him.

"Ow!"

"Sorry," she said, leaning down to kiss his well-toned shoulder. "I've just been worrying about this for months. I mean, I know we didn't really apply anywhere near each other so I thought about how I didn't know what the hell we were going to do next year. You could've given a poor girl some peace of mind!"

"I didn't think I'd get in and if I did, I didn't think I'd be able to afford it," John explained.

Renee was grinning from ear to ear as she said this: "Of course I want you to come to Pennsylvania with me, baby! Oh my God. We're really doing this!"

"Yeah, we are," John replied.

It really didn't get better than this. He loved her reaction when he told her the news and he loved the smile it brought to her face. By that, and those reactions only, John knew that she truly loved him. Damn. He never thought he'd be feeling like this…

* * *

><p>"Here you are," the hostess said, leading Jude to the table where Anna and her parents were all sitting, already halfway through dinner.<p>

"Thank you," Jude said, standing in front of Anna, who had a pitying yet angry look on her face, and the disapproving judgmental looks on her parents face.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. I got pulled over because of an expired license plate and then out of nowhere, this guy mugged us. I mean, what kind of guy mugs a police officer?" Jude asked, attempted to make light of the situation.

"Expired license plate. Hmp. That's… unfortunate. You know, you're supposed to have that checked when you get your car taken in," Mrs. Peters, Anna's mother said.

Jude shot Anna a look that said, 'did she really just ask about the license plate over the mugger', but she brushed it off.

"Mom, Dad, I know you've met Jude before, but I wanted to formally introduce you to him as my boyfriend," she said, grabbing Jude's hand under the table for strength. She was angry, upset, and scared all at once and she just needed to hold his hand. She felt him wince a little, but he pushed through the pain and held her hand.

Anna felt him wince and it killed her that he was in pain. She couldn't watch him do this any longer. Jude was killing himself over these demons but then again, she couldn't blame him. It wasn't like he went out looking for trouble. A lot of the time, the demons found him. It wasn't fair and she wasn't quite sure how long she could watch him slave over this? Not to mention it was really affecting their relationship. The other things she didn't mind and only made her question a little, but now she felt like it was time to take action.

"Jude. Jude Winchester, right? You worked in the clinic in Peru," Mr. Peters said.

"Yes, Don. This is the boy she transferred schools for," Mrs. Peters added, disapprovingly.

"Mom, I didn't transfer for Jude. Duke wasn't a great fit for me," Anna said.

"And you waited for senior year to do that?" Mrs. Peters asked.

"Oh, Ellen," Don sighed.

"What, Don? Duke is one of the finest pre-med programs. Med school programs at Harvard and Stanford notice schools like Duke on a student's resume," Mrs. Peters defended herself.

"Actually, you should probably blame me for that. I was the one that encouraged her to go elsewhere if she wasn't happy," Jude spoke up. Anna was grateful that Jude was willing to throw himself in harm's way for her, but hated that her parents were about to chew him up for it.

"And now she's going to U Penn for medical school. You got into Harvard, Anna," Mrs. Peters reasoned.

"U Penn was ranked second with Johns Hopkins, Mom," Anna said, bitterly.

"Yes, and Harvard's ranked first," her mother replied, shortly.

"And Jude, where are you going next year for med school?" Mr. Peters asked.

"U Penn as well," Jude replied.

"Hm," Mrs. Peters sounded, irked.

After another hour of this, Jude and Anna went back to Anna's apartment.

"I am so sorry. The policeman was possessed and when I took care of that a croat jumped me out of nowhere and when the police and ambulance finally came to take care of the policeman-," Jude rambled, trying to explain to his best abilities about what happened that night.

"It's okay," Anna said, flatly.

"Is everything okay?" Jude asked, realizing that she wasn't making much eye contact.

"I love you, Jude," she replied.

He was silent. He let the silence resonate in the room for the moment before saying, "I feel like there's a 'but' coming along."

"But… but you and I are in different places. I need to keep moving and with this whole demon thing, I feel like we're not going anywhere. I love you, I do, but I feel like you need to focus on yourself before we can continue… being an 'us'. It's just, I don't feel like you're here most of the time and you and I both know this demon thing has started affecting us. I mean, earlier tonight when you didn't show up, you don't know how much I worried over you! And how angry I was! Jude, I didn't even know how to feel. And you just left me there with my parents… I, I feel like I'm holding you back sometimes. I think we need to spend some time apart," Anna said, choosing her words wisely but letting him know exactly how she felt, and exactly how she had been feeling for a while now.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Jude asked, shocked by all of this.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am," Anna replied.

Jude nodded slowly, accepting it. She was right. It wasn't fair for him to do this to her. He couldn't show up at her apartment at two in the morning bruised and cut up. He couldn't ask her to take care of him the way she was now. Hell, that had practically become a full time job and he wasn't willing to do that to her, "Okay. I'm sorry, Anna. For everything."

"No. No, don't be sorry for anything. Jude, you're amazing to me. I just don't feel like we're going to be good for each other anymore if we keep doing this," Anna tried to explain.

"No, I get it. We're both asking each other for things we can't give at the moment," Jude agreed, melancholy. He pulled her into his arms, his eyes examining her delicate features.

"I don't want to say goodbye forever. Just… for now," Anna said.

"We don't know how long this demon thing will take and it's not fair for me to ask you to watch on the sidelines and just accept it when I come home screwed up," Jude said back.

"But if you need anything-," Anna said.

Jude shook his head, "It's okay. So… I guess this is goodbye for now…"

"Yeah…" Anna trailed off as well.

The two locked eyes and he pulled her in for a long, slow, romantic kiss. Anna kissed back but knew if she didn't stop it, they'd never separate. She slowly and reluctantly pulled away from him.

"Do you want me to walk you out?" Anna asked.

"No, thanks," Jude replied.

Anna nodded slowly, "So I… guess this is goodbye for now."

"Yeah, it is. Goodbye for now," he answered. He smiled weakly, before leaving her apartment.

And although his heart was breaking, he knew it was for the best. He walked down to his car and sped off, heading towards his apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thank you so much to Record 7, Deangirl93, and Angeles for reviewing the previous chapter. I really can't express how much I appreciate it. You guys keep me updating faster. And for that, a chapter only two days later than the previous one. :).


	42. Baby's First Demon

Sam and Dean looked around the empty street to make sure no one was watching before slipping into the center. They set everything up – Dean drew out the devil's trap while Sam prepared the ingredients for the spell.

"You gettin' that déjà vu feeling, Sammy?" Dean asked.

"No shit. If only Bobby were here…" Sam said. It was true. Bobby was the one that always did the spell to summon Crowley but Sam had taken over that part.

"Yeah," Dean mumbled, not wanting to get all sentimental right now.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Dean groaned.

"We have no other choice, Dean," Sam pointed out.

"If Cas would answer any of the damn calls! You know, I get that he's up there running heaven and everything, but don't forget about the little people. It's like he's completely disappeared," Dean said, grumpily.

"You sound like a teenage girl," Sam chuckled.

"Shut up," Dean grumbled. He finished drawing out the devil's trap and then straightened up, looking over at his brother. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"I got it," Dean said, walking near the pot that Sam had put everything in. Even after all these years, Sam was still his younger brother; his Sammy. Dean took out his pocket knife and cut his hand, letting the blood drip into the pot while Sam sat the words to the incantation, clearly. Dean backed away from it as Sam threw a match into the pot, and a small explosion erupted from the pot.

"Hello, boys," a voice said, causing both Sam and Dean to whip around. Crowley stood before them in the devil's trap, a smirk on his face. "I've been expecting you."

* * *

><p>John walked by the kitchen and saw his Mom standing there at the stove. He stopped and went back, into the kitchen.<p>

"Hey, what're you doing?" he asked, curiously.

"Just making some tea. You want some?" she asked back, simply.

"Mom, since when do I ever drink tea?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and managing to muffle a laugh. "Actually, since when do you drink tea?"

She rolled her eyes playfully, "Yeah, okay. Your father's out and it always makes me nervous. It kind of reminds me of the old days so I just need something to calm my nerves… you know… that doesn't involve a fifth of whisky or something. Again, these are not the good old days where that was okay."

"Mom, you drank?" John asked, in disbelief.

"Yes! Now, why's that so hard to believe?" she asked back.

"Well, you know, you're… my mom," John replied. "I don't picture you doing anything bad like that."

Meredith chuckled, "I had a wild side," she defended, jokingly.

"Really?" John asked. "If you're so sure than how about some evidence? Huh, Mommy dearest?"

"Fine. My sophomore year in high school, your father came to visit me and Bobby. He said he'd take me, but instead, he and I ditched and found one of Bobby's old salvage yard cars and got completely wasted," she answered. "Oh, and don't get any ideas."

"Woah, did either grandpas find out?" John asked, his eyes widening at the thought of his mom getting into trouble.

"Yep. Both of them did. Dean's dad kind of shrugged it off but my dad was furious. But it's not like he could ground me or anything since he was never around. I just got yelled at over a phone and Bobby told me I was grounded. That lasted for about a week because he said I was a 'good kid'," Meredith further explained.

"Apparently not," John said.

"Yeah," Meredith chuckled.

"As much as I'd like to hear more crazy, Mom stories, I'm going to go back upstairs and… watch porn or something," John joked.

"John Caleb Winchester, you better not be," Meredith warned.

"What? I take after Dad," John shrugged.

Meredith sighed, "You two…"

"Love you, Mom," John said, kissing his mom on the cheek and walked out of the kitchen. He was about to go upstairs but jumped as soon as he saw someone just standing in the middle of the living room. "Mom!"

"Crying to your mommy, eh? As a Winchester, I think you'd be able to take me on your own," the demon snarled.

"Oh, I can," John said, charging after it.

"What's-, John!" Meredith exclaimed, her eyes widening as soon as she saw John and a demon fighting in the middle of the living room.

"Mom, John, what's going on?" Flynn asked, rushing down the stairs, Victoria on his heels. Flynn and Victoria split. Flynn ran into the living room and Victoria fled elsewhere. The demon worked on John, swinging punches, while Meredith countered it, attacking from behind and attempting to pull it away from John- only this one seemed to have its eye set on him.

The demon had knocked John to the ground and had whipped out a knife, nearing John.

"No!" Meredith screamed, running at it, and jumping onto it, her arms wrapping his neck and pulling upwards. The demon barely seemed to have struggled and almost easily threw Meredith across the room, watching her fall, which was just enough time for John to run after her.

"Mom!" he yelled. His eyes widened as he saw Victoria coming towards the room. "Victoria, go back out! Go up to your room. You'll be safe there."

The demon turned on his heels, making towards John and Meredith but Flynn was quick. He grabbed the demon's arms, pressing them together behind his back, and holding him there. The demon cried out in pain and Victoria took that change to run at it, the demon-killing knife in her hands. She stabbed the demon and in short moments, it was dead. The body dropped to the floor as Flynn let go of it, shaking his hands out.

"Ew," Victoria said, looking at the bloodied knife.

"You know, for a moment there, I thought you were just running away… but good thinking, Vi," Flynn said.

"Please? Since when do Winchesters ever choose flight over fight?" Victoria asked back.

"Now that's what I call teamwork," Meredith breathed, looking at her three children, pride in her eyes.

* * *

><p>"You've been expecting us?" Dean asked back.<p>

"Of course. Big demon problem. King of hell," he said, pointing to himself. "Of course you lads need my help."

"That's not what we-," Dean started, defensively.

"Yes, it is," Sam interrupted, shooting Dean a look.

Dean took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down. They had a goal and they needed something. He couldn't just lose it on Crowley.

"Now what is you two boys need from me today? Information? The first's location? The prophecy? You name it and I'll… well, I won't give it to you, but you know how the drill goes," Crowley asked.

"The Colt," Sam said, sternly.

Crowley began to laugh, "You're actually trying to kill the first?"

"Yeah, why? You think we can't?" Dean asked, defensively. "We stopped the frickin' apocalypse!"

"Yes, and that's all very nice, but going after the first would be a suicide mission. Don't you think you've lost your… touch?" Crowley asked, provoking Dean.

"Alright, that's it!" Dean gritted, tensing up and charging at Crowley.

"Dean," Sam warned, grabbing his arm and pulling him backwards.

"Come on!" Dean exclaimed, shooting Sam a look. He nodded towards Crowley and then glared at Sam.

"If you two boys need a moment-," Crowley started.

"We're fine!" both Sam and Dean yelled back.

"Give me one reason to give you the colt. That is, if I even have it," Crowley said.

Sam and Dean both exchanged glances, searching for words. Dean attempted to form words but nothing came out. Sam thought about it and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. He said, "You're- you're out of a job."

"What?" Crowley asked, shooting him a look that read 'are you an idiot?'

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Sammy. Take it away."

"You're out of a job. If the First wins, then- well, you know," Sam said, struggling for something to say. He was just making it all up and hoped it made some logical sense. "He becomes king of hell… and since you're king of hell now… well, guess who his next target will be?"

Crowley put on his best poker face, even though Sam had a point, "What if I told you that the first and I had an agreement?"

"You're demons. Since when do demons ever honor agreements?" Dean pointed out.

"And since when do you ever agree to be second rank. I'd assume that the first wants to be king of hell making you second," Sam replied. He watched Crowley's face change and his body stiffen. "And from the looks of it, we're right."

"Have I mentioned how much I hate you two?" Crowley asked, his fists clenched.

"How about this? We gank the First for you and you get to keep your spot as number one in hell?" Dean asked.

"All you have to do is give us the colt. Look, we all know it. Sooner or later the First will move onto you. You'll be too much of a threat to him and he'll have to take you out to stay at the top of the pyramid. You know we're right, Crowley, and you know we won't go back on our word," Sam added. He could almost feel that Crowley was on the verge of agreeing with them.

"Am I smelling a deal here?" Crowley asked.

"No! There will be no kissing," Dean exclaimed.

Sam stifled a laugh.

"Too bad that pretty little wife of yours isn't here," Crowley said, looking around the room. Dean tensed up and Sam glared at him. They were so close. Crowley sighed. "Fine. But give me time. I've got to find the colt first."

"What do you mean? We don't have time!" Dean exclaimed.

"Yes, and I don't have the colt," Crowley replied. "I traded it up."

"Great. Just great," Dean spat, bitterly.

"But you can get it back, right?" Sam asked.

"I can try," Crowley replied, passively.

"So it's settled. You'll get us the colt?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. I hate working with you two," Crowley grumbled.

"You and I both," Dean said under his breath.

"Well, it was nice doing business with you boys. Are you going to let me out or what?" Crowley asked. Dean hesitated and Sam shot him a look.

"What?" Dean asked.

"We can't just let him rot here," Sam replied.

"Yeah, but-," Dean started.

"He's going to look for the colt!" Sam argued.

"Ladies!" Crowley yelled, interrupting the both of them. He laughed, seeing the looks on both Sam and Dean's faces. Sam sighed, going over to the trap, and scratching a thick line from the painted on devil's trap. Crowley smiled, mischievously. "See you around, boys!" And then he was gone.

* * *

><p>"Hey, pass the chocolate syrup," Victoria said to John as they stood in the middle of the kitchen, making ice cream sundaes.<p>

"I'm not done!" John said.

"How much do you need?" Victoria exclaimed.

"I'm a growing boy," John defended, shrugging. Victoria rolled her eyes, going over to the kitchen drawers and getting spoons out for everyone.

"You guys are lame. I'm doing it the right way," Flynn said, turning the stovetop burner off and pouring the melted chocolate chips over his cold ice cream.

"Ooh, good call. I want in," his sister said back.

"Alright, let's hear the story again," Meredith said, as she scooped vanilla ice cream into two bowls: one for her and one for Dean when he got home.

"Mom, you were there," Flynn groaned.

"You guys do know that when your father gets home, he's going to want to hear all about it. I'm just preparing you for him," Meredith replied, simply.

"Hey, I'm home!" they all heard someone announce, followed by the sound of the front door closing and locking. They could hear footsteps towards the kitchen until Dean stood in the doorway.

"You started ice cream sundaes without me?" Dean asked.

"Well, it's more a reward for the kids," Meredith replied.

"A reward for what?" Dean asked, glancing at his wife suspiciously.

"Go ahead and tell him," Meredith said to her kids, proudly.

"Oh my god, Dad. It was so cool!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Just like you said it'd be," Victoria added.

"Woah, woah, woah. What happened here?" Dean asked.

Dean was a little overwhelmed and at the moment, all he wanted to do was crawl into bed with his wife, but his kids were so excited that it was cheering him up already. He hated having to go back into this hunting thing and seeing Crowley was only a reminder of what their lives used to be like. It was only natural to bring him down some.

"A demon attacked," John started.

"And we fought it off, sort of," Flynn said.

"But Flynn and Victoria actually killed it," Meredith said.

Dean's eyes widened, "Wow."

"It was so cool, Dad!" Victoria exclaimed.

"Well, it was going to kill John but then Mom jumped on it," Flynn started.

"But the bastard-," John started.

"John, language," Meredith reminded.

"Sorry, Mom," John scowled. Dean and Meredith exchanged glances and Dean couldn't help but laugh. "Anyways, so the… thing flung mom off so I ran after her."

"So the demon was going after Mom and John, right? I didn't know what to do but I grabbed by its arms and just pulled back and that's when Victoria swooped in with the demon-killing knife," Flynn began to explain.

"And I stabbed it. But you know," Victoria said, jokingly flinging her hair over her shoulder with her hand.

"Which I'm still kind of jealous about," Flynn added.

"Wow, you four had quite a night, huh?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. Too bad you missed it, Dad," John answered.

"One ice cream sundae with chocolate syrup, peanuts, and crushed up oreos. Just how you like it," Meredith said, coming over to her husband and placing the bowl in front of him.

"Mm, you know how I like it," Dean smirked.

"Ew, guys," Victoria said, averting her eyes.

"Any way you want it," Meredith joked.

"That's the way I need it," Dean replied.

"Did you guys just have a Journey moment?" John asked, on the verge of laughter.

"Yep," Meredith said, proudly.

John and Flynn exchanged glances before laughing hysterically.

"You guys are so weird," Victoria said, jokingly rolling her eyes at those two.

"Nuh uh. You're the weird one," Flynn said.

"Yeah," John agreed.

"Boys! Stop ganging up on your sister!" Meredith ordered.

"It's okay, kiddo. You may be weird, but you got to stab the demon," Dean replied.

"Thanks, Dad," Victoria replied, chuckling while the rest of the family laughed at Dean's remark. They may have issues, but nothing ice cream couldn't fix.

* * *

><p>"There was such an adrenaline rush!" Flynn exclaimed.<p>

"It was awesome! It's like, we've been training for this our whole lives and last night we actually got to use it, you know?" Victoria asked, as they explained to Haley what had happened the previous night.

"Is it weird that I'm kind of jealous? Mom barely lets me go over to the center with you guys," Haley replied.

"No, you totally should be," Flynn teased. He then spotted Rose in the hallway. "Oh. Gotta go. I've got to ask her about something. We have band practice today."

"Does this question happen to be 'Rose, will you have my babies?'" Victoria teased.

Flynn frowned, "Shut up! I don't-."

"Whatever," Victoria interrupted.

Haley laughed, "What? You think he's into her?"

"It's so obvious. I just don't think either of them will do anything about it," Victoria replied. "But you should come to the center with us this weekend. It'll be fun."

"Yeah, I want to, especially after everything you've told me," Haley answered. Just then, they spotted Tyler in the hall and Victoria's smile slowly faded. She wanted so badly to tell Tyler about last night but she knew she couldn't. "Go ahead. I don't mind."

"Okay," Victoria said, leaving her cousin. "Hey."

"Hey," Tyler replied.

"So… how are you?" she asked. She honestly didn't know what to say to Tyler. It was like she couldn't share the majority of her life with him and she didn't know how to feel about that. She kept hearing Bryan Gallagher's voice in her head. Maybe he was right…

"And then my head fell off and I had to sew it back on with dental floss," Tyler said.

"What?" Victoria asked, shooting him a funny look.

"Just checking to see if you were listening. Are you okay? Is something… bothering you?" Tyler asked, concerned.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I didn't get much sleep last night," Victoria lied.

"Oh," Tyler answered. He had seen her before when she was with Haley and she seemed so lively and excited about something. Tyler knew something was up and he had been trying to get to the bottom of it for a long time now.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Big thank you to Deangirl93, two annonymous reviewers, elisitax21, Tiffani Kai, and MissECharlotte for reviewing my previous chapter. We got to 200, guys! Well, a little over 200. Now, there are about... maybe eight-ish (give or take a few) chapters left. I really can't wait to share with you all the excitement of the sequel. Thank you so much for reading and constantly providing feedback. I love to hear what everyone thinks. 


	43. The College Graduate

"_Mr. Winchester, what is this?" Meredith asked, bringing over the papers she had found on the kitchen table to the large man sitting in the Singer residence living room. Compared to her seven year old self, he was so tall and rugged looking that if he hadn't been so nice to her, she would've been afraid of him. "I thought you were a hunter, not a weather man."_

_"Meredith, how many times have I told you to call me John?" John Winchester asked back, chucking heartily as the little girl sat herself on the couch right next to him, handing him the papers that he had left on the table._

_"I keep forgetting. Sorry," she blushed._

_"No, it's alright. I'm tracking a demon," John replied. What Meredith always liked about John is that he was always honest with her. Instead of trying to hide it like her father always did, John always told her about monsters and demons when she asked._

_"The one that hurt your wife?" she asked._

_John nodded, "Yeah. It's not something that many hunters use, but some of them can track demons with weather patterns. That's what I'm learning."_

_"And how's it going?" she asked, curiously. John smiled, taking one good look at her sweet, innocent, full of life face. He knew he shouldn't be telling this little girl about monsters and demons and he knew he shouldn't be dragging his sons, the same age and younger, on the road all the time, but it's what he had to do._

_"It's going good, kiddo," John answered._

_"I'm glad. I hope you get it. The demon," Meredith said._

_"Me too," John replied.  
><em>  
>Meredith's eyes snapped open as she awoke from her dream. She remembered that exact day that had happened. It had been the Winchester's second visit since the first time she met Dean and had been ecstatic to have them back. Sam had been so cute as a four year old and she got butterflies every time she saw Dean. And she saw right through John Winchester. When she was a kid, she thought all he needed was a friend, so she tried to be that for him.<p>

But she knew this dream meant something. It didn't matter if they had the colt. They needed to find out where the First was located as well and right now, they had no clue. So she, ambitious, just like her father in law, was going to try to track this demon with weather patterns. She had seen strange weather reports across the world and had a hunch they weren't due to global warning or El Niño.

"Look who decided to join the land of the living," Dean said, as he noticed his wife stirring in bed. Meredith blinked a couple of times, glancing around the hotel room.

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

"A couple of hours," Dean replied. "You were tossing and turning in your sleep. Dreaming about me?" Meredith watched a smirk spread across his lips and he looked her up and down.

She groaned, sleepily, "No." She stretched before pulling the covers off of her and sitting up on the bed. She got up and walked towards the window, pulling the curtain back and looking at the view. The city of Philadelphia was great and she had missed being in a big city.

"Mer, we promised. No demon stuff for Jude's graduation, okay?" Dean reminded, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. He leaned his head on her shoulder and then began leaving kissing on her neck and shoulders.

Meredith giggled, "I know, I know. I just had this dream about your dad, actually. It was more of a memory actually. It was that one time he told me that he was learning to track the yellow eyed demon with weather patterns. I figured we'd give it a shot, but we can wait till we get back to Sioux Falls."

"Good, because we said no distractions. This weekend is about Jude, the family, getting away from demons and… you and I are on the opposite end of the floor as our kids. We have a hotel room of our own and my wild imagination," Dean smirked.

"Your wild imagination, huh?" Meredith asked, playfully.

"Uh huh," Dean replied, turning her head to the side and capturing her lips with his. Meredith closed her eyes, letting herself slip into the kiss. Dean was going to make it very easy to relax and get her mind off of demons for a change.

Just as she got really into the kiss, the hotel room phone rang loudly and obnoxiously. Meredith groaned as Dean pulled away, only enough that their lips were millimeters apart, about to go in for another kiss.

"We should get that," she mumbled, as he kissed her again.

"Who could be calling us? We're in Philadelphia!" Dean replied, pulling her to him and kissing her again. God, if it weren't for the fact that they were meeting Jude for dinner in less than an hour, he'd take her right there and then. He knew if Mer checked the time, she'd freak out and scramble to get ready so he knew if they started something, she look at the clock.

"Dean," she giggled, pulling away from him. She crawled over the bed and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom? When are we meeting in the lobby?" the voice asked.

"Flynn?" she asked back.

"Yeah," Flynn replied.

"Oh. Uh…" Meredith said, glancing at the clock. Her eyes widened. She didn't have much time to get ready.

"How about in thirty minutes?" she proposed.

"Okay. Thanks, Mom," Flynn replied.

"Bye, sweetie," Meredith said, before hanging up the phone. Meredith then got off of the bed and started towards the bathroom.

"Hey, where are you going?" Dean asked.

"I'm just going to take a quick shower before we go," Meredith replied.

"I'm not getting any, am I?" he asked, playfully disappointed.

"Later, if you're lucky," Meredith winked before going into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Jude pulled up to the restaurant and parked the car, getting out of it and going into the restaurant. He knew he was fifteen minutes early but he planned on getting a drink at the bar to calm his nerves. As excited as he was to see his family, they always were a handful and he could use a drink to loosen up and stop stressing about everything. He headed straight to the bar and ordered a shot of Jack Daniels' whiskey.<p>

"Make that two," he heard a voice say, causing him to look over at the person next to him.

"Anna," Jude said, surprised.

"Hey," she replied, smiling sweetly. The two stared at each other, not knowing what to say, awkwardly. "So how've you been?"

"Good…" Jude replied.

"Good…" Anna trailed off. "So listen, I hope that this isn't awkward. I know we haven't spoken much since… well, you know… but I just hope that we're alright, especially because we're both going to U Penn. And because I care about you, Jude. I hope you know you can always talk to me if you ever need to-."

Jude chuckled, awkwardly, cutting her off, "It's okay, Anna. Really. I'm fine. But thank you."

"So, you're whole family's in town this weekend?" Anna asked, making small talk.

"Yeah, they are. All five of them," Jude answered with a laugh.

"Well, I'm sure it'll be great. My parents flew in and my sister took a train in from Connecticut," Anna replied.

"Wait, you're little sister at boarding school who you never talk to?" Jude asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep, that's the one," Anna replied.

"Wow. Your graduation's bringing the whole family together," Jude noticed. Jude and Anna both thanked the bartender a she brought their drinks back. The two of them drank a little bit of their drinks over small talk.

"Yeah, it's a first," Anna replied, with a small laugh.

"So… I didn't know you were going to be here tonight," Jude started, looking around the crowded restaurant.

"Jude, it looks like everyone graduation tomorrow is here tonight with their families," Anna replied, taking another sip of her whiskey. She really needed it. Her sister and her had never been close, so getting through dinner was going to be hard. Her parents had already begun the lectures and criticism of everything but the kitchen sink, while her sister sat there, rolling her eyes at them, which certainly didn't help the tension. And now Jude was going to be here with his family. Could this night get any more awkward?

"This is true," Jude replied.

"Well, I should get going before the parents notice that I'm back. That or my sister dies… or kills one of them," Anna said, slightly joking and somewhat serious all at the same time.

"Ah… Mr. and Mrs. Peters… Gotta love 'em," Jude joked.

"Uh huh. That's why I needed this," Anna sounded in agreement, chugging down the last of her whiskey before setting the glass down on the bar. "Bye, Jude."

"Bye," he said. As she passed him, he looked back at her, watching her as she went all the way back to her table. He had to admit, he missed her a lot. She had broken her heart, but in a way, he knew that he had broken hers with all the hunting. He couldn't do that to her, no matter how much he missed her.

"I think that's him!" he heard a voice whisper-yell.

"Of course it is. He's at the bar!" another voice said.

"Like father like son," he heard a voice chuckle.

A wide grin spread across Jude's face as he heard the voices of his family. He drank the last bit of his whiskey before hopping off of the bar stool and turning around to see his family.

"Hey, guys," he smiled, instantly being greeted by his whole family. His mother was first.

"Ugh, it's so good to see you!" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

Jude gasped, patting his mom on the back gently, "Mom… can't breathe…"

"Oh, sorry," she chuckled, pulling away. "That's what you get for not coming home for spring break. I miss you too much!"

"She's a lot stronger than she looks," Jude said as his father pulled him in for a hug as well.

"Yes, she is," Dean answered. "You look good, kid. Almost a college graduate. How does it feel?"

"It feels… not real," Jude answered. Dean chuckled, shaking his head and moving out of the way for the rest of the family to say hi to Jude.

"My turn!" Victoria exclaimed, practically jumping into her brother's open arms.

"Hey, kiddo," Jude smiled. He looked over at his dad over her shoulder. "Does she still have a boyfriend?"

"Yes," Dean groaned.

"Dean!"

"Dad!" Victoria and Meredith exclaimed, simultaneously.

Jude chuckled, "Glad to see things haven't change. Hey, man." Jude 'bro-hugged' Flynn and then, finally was faced with John.

"So… how've things been?" John asked, casually.

"Good," Jude replied, casually as well.

"Cool."

"Cool."

"Oh, who are we kidding, man?" John asked, hugging his brother while the family laughed at the two.

"Table for Winchester, right?" the waitress asked, coming by the big group of people. She seemed irritated, which was rational, since there was a giant group of six blocking the doorway.

"Yes," Meredith replied. She chuckled, watching her family reunite.

"Right this way," the waitress instructed, heading over towards a large, circular table, set for six.

"You outdid yourselves on this one, guys. When I said that I'd be fine with a low key place, I meant it," Jude started, as they all sat down.

"Oh, hush! It's your graduation dinner. We wanted to go somewhere nice," Meredith interjected. She looked around. "And apparently every other parent with a kid graduation tomorrow had the same idea."

"It's fine, babe," Dean said, placing a hand on the small of her back.

"Hey, I would've been fine with a roadhouse," Jude shrugged.

"I'm in!" John exclaimed. His mother shot him a look and he shrugged. "What? I'm eighteen. I can do that stuff now." He noticed the look on his mother's face and awkwardly said, "Except for drink… because drinking is bad," causing Flynn and Victoria to crack up with laughter and Jude to shake his head, jokingly.

"You may be, but I wouldn't be, especially with this one," Dean said, pointing to Victoria.

"What? Why me? Flynn's the youngest!" Victoria protested.

"By three minutes!" Flynn exclaimed.

"Because, creepy old men won't hit on Flynn," Dean explained.

"Hey!" Flynn said.

"No offense," Dean said back, as a side note.

"Dad, chill. What? You want me to wear a turtle neck for the rest of my life?" Victoria asked.

"Well, actually-," Dean started.

"Dean," Meredith giggled, squeezing his knee underneath the table. The two exchanged glances and smiled at each other.

"I trust Tyler. Not guys in roadhouses," Dean clarified.

"You trust Tyler?" Victoria asked, her eyes wide and gleamy. She had never heard her father say the actual words, although she knew he had trusted Tyler for a while now – the auto shop class had really been a big help.

"Yeah, don't let it get to your head," Dean replied.

Dinner went on, glasses of wine were poured, and dinner was finally being served. But most importantly, the Winchester family, who had been thrown out of whack due to demons, finally had their night of normalcy, something that hadn't been common, recently.

"Oh, finally! I'm starving," John said, as their food arrived and the waiters were gone. He picked up his fork, about to eat when Meredith stopped everyone.

"Wait, hold on!" she said, getting everyone's attention.

"Mom, since when do we ever say grace? We're not even religious," Flynn asked.

"Not that," Meredith said, raising her glass. "I'd like to propose a toast to Jude. Jude, it feels like just yesterday, Dean came back and you, he, and I were the beginning of this family. Words can't express how proud I am of you. I've watched you grow from an insanely charming, funny boy, to an insanely charming, funny, smart man with a huge heart. You've always taken care of us and are on the path to taking care of others. Your dad and I can't tell you how proud we are that you're going to med school. So here's to Jude for all of his achievements, and all that he's done for this family."

"Cheers," the family said, in agreement.

"To Jude!"

"To family," Jude said, raising his glass and then drinking out of it. As much as he hated fighting, tonight had made me realize what he was fighting for. This family. The people he loved and the people that loved him.

* * *

><p>"Brooke Ingrid Wells," the speaker called out as the petite, blonde girl walked across the stage, receiving the diploma, and then walking off.<p>

"Willa Wendy Winchell," the speaker called out again, waiting for the next graduate to walk across the stage.

"What kind of name is Willa Wendy Winchell?" Dean asked, leaning over to his wife.

"Dean," she giggled, nudging him playfully.

"What?" Dean asked, the arm around her, tickling her ribcage lightly.

She laughed even more, "Dean, stop it!"

"Shhh!" someone behind them said. Dean glanced back at the man behind them before returning to Meredith.

"That is what happens when you're old and you don't get laid," Dean whispered. Meredith just shook her head, rolling her eyes playfully.

"See, what i have a problem with is the other girl's middle name: Inga. What kind of name is Inga!" Meredith asked. Dean chuckled.

"Jude Robert Winchester," the speaker said.

"Oh my God, this is it!" Meredith gasped, clapping madly. "Wooo!"

"That's my boy!" Dean cheered.

"You're the man! Gettin' that college degree!" John yelled.

"Yeah, Jude!" Victoria hollered.

"Yeah, buddy!" Flynn called out.

The family cheered excessively for Jude, earning irritated looks from the people sitting around them. Jude chuckled, as he got up on stage, shaking hands with the head of the pre-med department, and then taking his diploma, shaking a couple of other hands on the way. When he heard his family's cheers, he couldn't help but laugh and roll his eyes playfully. That was his family – the family he'd do anything for. When he finally sat down, the clapping died down and another name was call. Jude took one deep breath.

He was finally a college graduate.


	44. If You Wanna Go Far, You Go With Family

**Author's Note**: I apologize. I meant to get this update out sooner, but my _Hunger_ _Games _addiction is almost as strong as my shoe addiction.

* * *

><p>"This is it?" Meredith asked, almost disappointed as she stared at the three boxes in the middle of Jude's living room. The place was barely packed up and the stuff he was sending home had been stuff he hadn't used in years.<p>

"Well, yeah. I'm coming back late June, for the research internship I got at U Penn, Mom," Jude reminded. "And besides, I'll need all this stuff for school next year anways. I'm keeping the apartment, you know."

"Yeah, I do," Meredith sighed. "It just feels like after college, you'd have more to bring home, but I keep forgetting that you're staying in Pennsylvania. Wow, it's unreal. You and John will both be here next year. You better keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid."

Jude chuckled, "You know I'll keep an eye on that trouble maker."

"Hey, you were a trouble maker once, too," Meredith replied.

"Don't remind me," Jude groaned.

"I remember, quite fondly actually, you and your buddies sneaking out when you were still in high school. Boy, did I get mad the first time I caught you," she reminisced.

"And of course, you knew about it long before you even caught me," Jude added.

"Yeah… Let's just say, even though your father and I were retired hunters didn't mean that we were still rusty," Meredith replied. "We knew how to set it up just perfectly."

"You set me up!" Jude exclaimed.

"Aww, honey, you didn't know?" Meredith asked, sweetly.

"I always suspected," Jude said, shaking his head. He laughed it off and then straightened up.

"We really couldn't complain though. You really were everything we ever asked for. You were actually just like your father when he was a kid," Meredith said, with a heartfelt sigh.

"I was?" Jude asked.

"Yeah," Meredith answered, smiling. "You were so mischievous like him, but whenever you knew we needed help, you were there. And you were smart. Still are! You got that one from me."

Jude laughed.

"Kidding. Your dad's a lot smarter than he acts."

"Yeah, he really is," Jude agreed with a chuckle. "God, that one night you caught me sneaking out… Dad was one step ahead of me every step of the way."

"Mhm," Meredith sounded, satisfied.

"I'll have to use that one day with my kids…" Jude trailed off.

"We've taught you well," Meredith chuckled, patting her son on the back. "Alright, why don't we mail these off back home?"

"Sounds good to me," Jude answered.

"Cool," Meredith said, picking up one of the boxes while Jude picked up the other too and the headed to Jude's car.

* * *

><p>Meredith and Jude had just shipped off his packages to Sioux Falls and they were now back in his apartment.<p>

"So, I guess we just get ready to go home," Meredith said.

"Uh huh," Jude said.

Meredith held her tongue. She already felt guilty enough about Jude hunting again, so she knew she could take care of it herself. But she didn't want to. She always believed that if you want to go fast, you go alone, but if you want to go far, you go with family.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Huh?"

"You've been antsy and deep in thought ever since dad left. My only assumption is now that he's not here to remind you to get out of your head every second of the day, you've got something big on your mind. Why are you really here to help me pack up? It's not like I had much to do," Jude asked, calling his mom out.

"What? A mother can't help out her soon after he graduates?" Meredith asked, innocently. Jude shot her a look that said, 'really?' and Meredith sighed. "Okay, so there's a hunt. Look, I can take care of it on my own and it's really not a hunt but it's something."

"Where is it?" Jude asked. He knew she was up to something!

"Chicago," Meredith answered, nervously.

"That's about twelve and a half hours from here," Jude thought over.

"I know. Look, your dad doesn't really know about this. I thought I'd do it on my own because I don't want to get his hopes up about it. You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," Meredith said.

"I have a choice?" Jude asked.

"Of course! In fact, we don't even have to go at all. There'll be other chances. It's fine. Let's just go home," Meredith answered. She didn't want to pressure him into the hunt and so she just decided to call it quits.

"Really?" Jude asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Why so shocked?"

"No reason," Jude replied.

"Okay," Meredith replied, slightly disappointed. She wasn't quite sure when she'd get another opportunity like this but she'd find a way. Her kids were her priority. Suddenly, she heard the jingle of keys, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Come on," Jude said, holding up his keys.

"Jude, you don't have to," Meredith started.

"No, no, it's okay. I can tell that this is something important. You always get that look… you know," Jude said, imitating his mother's facial expressions, "when something's important. Come on. Let's go."

"Are you sure?" Meredith asked, her eyes lighting up.

"I'm positive. But you're filling me in on the car ride there," Jude replied.

He and Meredith got their hunting stuff together and then loaded up Jude's car. Jude drove and they were off to Chicago.

Meredith put a CD that she had brought into the CD player of Jude's car. The sounds of "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin played out through the speakers and Jude smiled.

"You just knew I'd come on this hunt with you, huh?"

"I hope you would," Meredith replied.

"You brought our favorite," he chuckled, listening to the beginnings of his favorite Led Zeppelin record. "So you just knew that I'd come on this hunt with you, huh?"

"No," Meredith said. "I just hoped you would."

"So you gonna tell me what's in Chicago?" Jude asked, looking over at his mom.

"Death," Meredith said, giving him a straight answer.

"Isn't there death every where?" Jude asked, chuckling.

"No. Literally. Death," Meredith repeated.

"What?" Jude exclaimed, practically slamming on the breaks. He looked around, grateful that there was no one behind him and began to start driving again.

"It's okay. We've come across Death a couple of times during our active hunting years. Before we went up against the devil, your father tried to get Death's help. Death brought your Uncle Sam's soul back as well. We're… I guess you could say old friends. I have a favor to ask of him this time. I want to see if we could borrow scythe, just for when we go up against the First," Meredith replied.

"You think that'll kill it?" Jude asked.

Meredith shrugged, "It's worth a shot. I'm just afraid the Colt won't be enough."

"Why?" Jude asked, curiously.

"There are a few things the colt can't kill. I'm just afraid the first will be one of them," Meredith answered.

"And since the scythe is Death's, it makes sense that it could kill the first. It's Death!" Jude completed.

"Exactly," Meredith said.

"How do you know he'll be there?" Jude asked.

"He'll be there," Meredith answered, a slight smirk on her face. Jude noticed this and chuckled. His parents really were quite a mystery. There was another silence between them before Meredith spoke up again. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Jude asked.

"For doing this to you… your dad and I never wanted you guys to grow up hunters – especially not the way your father did. We wanted to give you a normal life for as long as possible but turns out that didn't work out so well," Meredith replied, guiltily.

"Mom, you didn't drag me into this," Jude said.

"But it feels like we did," she said back.

"No. I chose this, Mom. I chose to start hunting again when this came up and I certainly chose to hunt back in high school," Jude countered.

Meredith sighed, "But if we hadn't told you about it… I mean, your first words were bad demons! If we had been like the Gallaghers-."

"Pft. The Gallaghers? They're idiots for keeping the secret from their kids. You protected us, Mom. Contrary to popular belief, ignorance is not bliss," Jude replied. "I mean, think about what would've happened if these demons and croats started attacking me, and I had no idea what the hell was going on or how to help myself. Mom, this is not your fault. It's the damn prophecy and the fact that there are horrible… things out there. Don't blame yourself."

Then, there was just a silence. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, just a silence. Jude couldn't help but think about the conversation they were having. Most mother-son conversations had nothing to do with hunting down Death and demons.

He thought about how long he had been playing 'normal'. Even in high school, he was never 'normal' – unless you counted student by day, and hunter by nights and weekends normal. His parents had almost dreaded letting him go out on his first when but he had insisted. He had told them that it was what they were training him for anyways and he might as well get practice in. He then had pointed out that his parents had started hunting way younger than he was at that time. He had wanted to hunt. And then he started college and gave it all up; resumed the normal life he always thought he wanted.

But what if it wasn't what he wanted? What if he needed the balance – the kind of balance his parents had with hunting. He wanted to help people and maybe in more ways than medicine. He knew that it wasn't just his loyalty to family that made him hunt. It was his choice. He thought back to how unusual it was for him as child to want to hunt.

_~Flashback~_

_"Good. Why don't you and I clean up here and head back to the house. Your mom will start worrying," Dean started._

_"Did you see it, Dad? I made the bull's eye three times!" Jude bragged proudly to his father. He looked up at his father with such admiration. That was what he wanted to be when he grew up. He wanted to be a super hero, just like his dad._

_"Yeah, you did. Right here, kiddo!" Dean congratulated, giving his son a fist bump. Jude chuckled, earning the affection that he craved from his dad. It was getting so busy in the house with the twins, John, and him. It was nice to have one on one time with his dad._

_"Can we come back tomorrow?" Jude asked, eagerly._

_"Sure," Dean replied, hesitantly. He left a small silence before bring up something. "You know, I'd much rather be teaching you had to play catch or something normal like that."_

_"But I already know how to play catch," Jude said, blinking up at his dad. A smile spread through his face. "I want to protect people like you."_

_Dean smiled a little, staring down at his son. Dean thought about how young he was when he first held a gun. Was this really right? He didn't have an answer to the question, but he curse himself for the fact that Jude already thought that it was his responsibility to protect people. The kid was only eight!_

_"Hey, you're only eight, here. Let's not jump the gun yet, okay?" Dean asked, chuckling at his pun._

_"Okay, Dad," Jude replied, as the two made it back to the Impala._

_~End Flashback~_

* * *

><p>The two Winchesters arrived in Chicago exactly 12 hours and 30 minutes later. Meredith and Jude had taken turns driving so that one or the other could sleep when needed. The two were exhausted but knew that this was important and would just have to suck it up until they could drive back home.<p>

"A pizzeria?" Jude asked, as the two got out of the car. He raised an eyebrow, shooting his mom a funny look.

"Yeah, Death is a fan of Chicago's pizza," Meredith replied. She noticed the look on her son's face and laughed. "I know. Don't ask. I've tried, for many years, to make sense of it and finally called it quits when I realized that there wasn't much to make sense of."

"Death really is a mystery," Jude chuckled.

"Yeah…" Meredith trailed off. She pulled open the door to the pizzeria to see a blow out light and another one flickering. People all over the place were dead and Jude was shocked at the sight.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Mom? We didn't bring any weapons," Jude asked, uneasily.

She nodded hesitantly, "Yeah. We can't kill Death anyways." Jude and Meredith exchanged glances before cautiously making their way towards the only man alive in the pizzeria. He sat there, eating at the back of the room at a table. He looked up as he saw the two.

"I thought I smelled Winchester," he said. Suddenly, two chairs at the table had been pushed out. "Sit." They knew it wasn't a question, but a demand. Jude and Meredith sat down, nervously. "Don't worry. I know what you've come here for."

"So… can we have it?" Jude asked. If he knew what they had come for, he wasn't about to waste time beating around the bush.

"Patients, Jude Winchester," Death said, taking another bite of his deep dish pizza. He finished chewing. "This is about the only that keeps Chicago from falling to bits and pieces."

"Death, we need your scythe to kill the First," Meredith blurted out. She didn't care that Death already knew. She was going to ask it anyways.

"And why? Why should I give it to you?" Death asked, irked with Meredith's impatience. Meredith and Jude exchanged glances, searching for words and half expecting the other to say something.

"Well… what if the First binds you to him… like Lucifer did?" Meredith stammered.

"You're uncertainty isn't very convincing, Meredith," Death said, patronizingly.

"But if he does," Meredith spoke up, bolder now. "He'll make you his weapon. Then the first, the demons, and all the croats will take us all out. You'll have no souls to reap if you're their weapon. That means you're out of a job." Meredith crossed her arms over her chest, beginning to gain the upper hand now. "And how do we know that he already hasn't? How exactly are they bringing back those lost souls? I mean, it's easy to see how their demonizing them, but bringing them back? That doesn't sound like something they'd be able to do on their own."

"The First was truly Lucifer's first demon – not Lillith – but he was imperfect so he lay and watched Lucifer. He learned everything from him. Chances are, he bound you to him long before you even knew about the uprising," Jude taunted.

Death glowered in defeat.

"That's why you made it so easy to find you!" Meredith said, a light bulb going off in her mind.

"Alright, yes, I need your help, but who says that the scythe is the answer?" Death asked.

"Look, we just need something else. The Colt probably won't work and-," Meredith started.

"The prophecy," Jude interjected, causing Death to lean in. "The prophecy said that there would be two brothers that, together, would either save or destroy the world. It has to be fulfilled. The prophecy also included something about weapons from the saviors or destroyers, just the way that we would be saviors or destroyers. The scythe _is_the answer."

Meredith smiled at her son proudly.

Death sighed, "Fine. But I can't give it to you now."

"Wh-," Meredith started.

"But-," Jude protested.

"It'll come when the time is right," Death said.

Jude and Meredith exchanged glances, in shock that they had pulled it off.

"How will we know… when the time is right?" Meredith asked, worriedly.

"You'll know," Death replied. "Now go before I change my mind."

"Okay," Jude said, hurrying he and his mother out of the pizzeria.

"You were great in there, you know?" Meredith started.

"You too, Mom. It's always mind boggling to see you and Dad on hunts. You're just… well, kind of bad ass," Jude said.

She chuckled, "Well, thanks, sweetie… I think."

"Come on, Mom. Let's go home," Jude smiled. And at the moment, he couldn't wait to get home and be with his family. The war was on and Jude was going to fight to the end for the family that he loved more than anything.

* * *

><p>When they were finally home, Jude went up to his room and crashed. He knew he'd probably sleep all day tomorrow as well. Meredith however, crept into her bedroom, hoping not to wake Dean.<p>

"Baby, what took you so long?" Dean mumbled, sleepily, as he turned over onto his back. He flicked on the bed table light as he smiled at his wife.

"Oh no! I didn't want to wake you up!" she whispered.

"It's okay. I'm already up," he shrugged.

"We went to see an old friend," Meredith replied. Dean shot her a puzzled look as she stood at the foot of their bed. "Oh, and I got something for you." Meredith then pulled a plastic scythe from a plastic Target bag she had been holding and held it up for Dean to see.

Dean raised his eyebrows, whistling, "Baby, I didn't know you liked it like that."

"Shut up," she said, rolling her eyes playfully and dropping the plastic scythe to the floor.

"Come here, you," he said, endearingly. Meredith climbed into bed with Dean, curling up to him. "So tell me. Tell me all about how you took our son to see Death."

Meredith groaned, "I know, I know."

"You should've told me," Dean started.

"I wanted to, but I didn't want to get your hopes up, just in case we didn't get it, you know?" she asked.

"Where is it?" Dean asked.

"Death said that it'd come when the time was right," Meredith answered.

"Who has two thumbs and doesn't trust that one bit?" Dean asked.

"You?" Meredith asked, playfully.

"Yes, baby. Me," Dean chuckled.

"I'm just glad to be home," Meredith said, pressing her face into her husband's chest. Dean stroked her hair gently and kissed the top of her head.

"We're going to be alright, Mer. I know we will. I can feel it," Dean comforted.


	45. Goodbyes and Unwelcomed Hellos

Sam and Meredith were bent over a computer while looking up and recording strange weather reports along with anything else environmentally strange that had been in the news. Sam had called old hunters to see if they had noticed something and so far, they had acquired quite an anthology of weather reports. They were really going after the First.

Dean, on the other hand, paced around the room, refusing to do what his brother and his wife were asking him to do.

"Why do you I have to call him?" Dean whined, causing Meredith and Sam to look up from the computer.

"Because, Dean, he never answers me. He never has," Sam answered.

"But-, oh come on, Mer. You can do it, right?" Dean begged.

"Dean, he's your boyfriend. Not mine," Meredith joked.

"Mer," he frowned.

"Sorry," she said, she and Sam both snickering.

"Fine," Dean huffed. "Cas! Cas, I'm not joking. We need your help. Hell, we've needed your help for a goddamn long time now. If you've been listening this whole time and haven't answered any of us, I swear to God I'll-."

"Hello, Dean," a voice said, causing all three of them to turn around and face Castiel, the angel who had been AWOL for almost twelve years now.

"Where the hell have you been?" Dean demanded, angrily.

"Changing the whole order of Heaven and creating a whole new garrison has taken a while, Dean," Cas answered, defensively as he detected the anger in Dean's voice.

Dean frowned and pouted, sitting down on the couch in the room.

"Oh, I think you hurt his feelings," Meredith said to Cas, rubbing Dean's back. Dean just glared at his wife. "Sorry, baby."

"I understand that you're going up against the First. Risky," Cas began.

"Yeah, we are. Look, we need to know if… if there's anything we should know before going up against it. We're getting the colt and Death's scythe to fight against it, but we don't know if they'll actually work," Meredith explained.

"And we've started tracking the demon by weather patterns like Dad did with the yellow eyed demon. We haven't figured anything out yet so we're asking for help Cas. We need information and we need to know how to find it," Sam added.

Sam and Meredith looked to Dean to say something but instead, he just sat on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, refusing to look at Cas or even say something.

Cas cleared his throat before speaking, "Well, all I can tell you is that you're on the right track. The colt may not work, but the scythe will. But that means getting close enough to the First to be able to use it. Again, risky."

"What do you expect, Cas? When have our plans ever been safe?" Meredith asked.

Castiel chuckled, "You're right. As for the tracking the demon, I'll keep an eye out… ask around. I'll help you track it and let you know."

"How do we know you'll come back, huh? How do we know we can trust you? What're we supposed to do when we have nothing and you pull that disappearing act shit again?" Dean growled.

"This has taken priority in heaven, Dean. You have nothing to worry about," Cas reassured.

"So you're doing this for them instead of us? Look who became God's bitch again," Dean grumbled.

"Dean!" Sam and Meredith warned at the same time.

"What? It's true," Dean replied, angrily. Meredith sighed. She knew how much her husband was hurting.

"I can see my presence isn't welcome at the moment. I'll search around. We'll be in touch," Cas said, before disappearing.

"Great, Dean. You scared him away!" Sam scolded.

"What? We're just supposed to welcome him into our arms with hugs and praise? It's been twelve years since he last made contact," Dean pointed out.

"I know, babe, but he's help now," Meredith started.

"And that just makes it okay?" Dean asked, aggravated.

"No, it doesn't. But we need all the help we can get," Sam replied.

* * *

><p>Victoria overheard her parents talking downstairs and as much as she wanted to barge in and ask to help, she knew it was best to stay out of it at the moment. She hoped her parents knew that she and Flynn, although they were the "babies" of the family, were coming to the final fight. There was no way they were getting left behind on this one.<p>

Unfortunately, hunting was the last thing on her mind. Her mind was swimming with the thoughts of Tyler and she only wanted to use hunting to distract her from it. She knew what was right and she knew she had to do it. No matter how much it hurt. She jogged upstairs and past her brother's room before she heard him say something.

"Hey, did you ever finish that book I lent you?" Flynn called from his room, seeing his sister walk by his open door.

"Yeah, why?" Victoria asked back.

"Can I have it back? I was going to read it again," Flynn answered.

"Yeah sure," Victoria mumbled, going from Flynn's room to hers, picking up the book from her bed, and heading back to Flynn's room, throwing it down on his bed gently. She turned on her heels, beginning to leave when Flynn stopped her.

"Everything okay?" Flynn asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, everything's fine, why?" Victoria asked, shrugging and trying her hardest to conceal her sadness and fear about what she was about to do.

"You seem… upset," Flynn replied.

"I'm fine," Victoria said, almost too quickly.

"If you need to-," Flynn started.

"Flynn, not really in the mood for a _Gilmore Girls_moment. I've got go. I'm supposed to go meet Tyler anyways," Victoria said. Just then, the door bell rang. Saved by the bell! Or not… "That's him now. I've got to go. Um… thanks… for offering."

"Okay," Flynn said, unconvinced but his sister was moody so he was going to stay out of her way until she was ready to talk… and not snap at him after everything he said.

Victoria jogged down the steps so she didn't keep Tyler waiting, but she wanted to take her sweet time. She hated this. She hated it, but she knew it was right. Back in Pennsylvania, she saw the way that Jude looked at Anna whenever they were together, but he had let her go. He had let her go because he knew it was the right thing; because he couldn't let hunting interfere – no, more like tear down – their relationship any longer. She wondered whose relationship she was actually thinking of, but quickly pushed the thoughts from her head as the door swung open and she was greeted by Tyler.

"Hey," he said, that boyish, innocent smile spreading across his lips as soon as he saw her. Tyler knew they were having some rough patches. He hated that she wouldn't let him in, but he still couldn't help smiling whenever he saw her.

"Hey," she replied, smiling weakly. She cursed herself for slipping up like that. She made it a mental note to get better at hiding her feelings.

"Can we take a walk?" Tyler asked.

"Sure," Victoria answered, stepping outside and closing the door behind her.

The entire walk was almost silent. Tyler attempted to make small talk but Victoria couldn't do it, knowing what she was about to do. They finally ended up back to her house and stopped.

"So this is you," Tyler said, not bothering to hide his aggravation with the whole situation.

"Tyler, we need to-," Victoria started.

"Talk? Yeah… I saw that one coming," Tyler replied.

She nodded slowly, "I-, it's not that I don't like you. I do… it's just… my family's going through something right now and it's just not a good time for me."

"Victoria, you don't have to use the whole 'it's not you it's me' thing on me, okay?" Tyler replied, rather combatively.

"Tyler-," Victoria started.

"It's not like I didn't see this coming. You won't let me in, Victoria. Why is that?" Tyler asked.

Victoria sighed, "It's complicated."

"But it's not!" Tyler protested.

"What?" Victoria asked.

"I am… was… - whatever - your boyfriend, Victoria. You're supposed to do that stuff with me. You're supposed to be able to tell me about the complicated, whether or not it was ugly. I can take it. Look, I like you too… a lot, but I think you're right. I don't know how this would ever work if you can't let me in. You've been pushing me away for a while now and… and I don't know how to fix it. I don't know what I did or said but-," Tyler started.

"No, it's nothing you did!" Victoria interjected, the desperate tone in her voice causing Tyler to look up. "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry, Tyler. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I don't want to but I just don't think I can let you in," she confessed, her voice almost at a whisper. She fought back the tears that were begging to escape her eyes. "Please just know that you were more than I could have ever hoped for. We're not breaking up because of anything you did or said so please don't blame yourself. I'm the one who's… who can't open. And I'm sorry."

"Me too," Tyler replied, somberly.

The two stood in awkward silence, not knowing what to say next before Victoria spoke up.

"I should go," Victoria said.

"Okay," Tyler replied.

"Bye," she said.

"Bye," she said back.

She looked up at him and saw that he was hurting just as much as she was. She kissed him on the cheek once before smiling at him weakly, and disappearing behind her front door. As she closed it, she watched as Tyler left her house, heading back to his. Goodbye, Tyler. She knew it was goodbye for good because she was pretty sure she had done some real damage.

She didn't let herself cry even though her tears were practically screaming for escape. She comforted herself with the fact that she had done the right thing and that keeping her family's secret was only going to tear them further apart. If she had stayed in the relationship, she would only push him farther away and do even more damage. It was better this was, right? Take the hurt now instead of the unbearable hurt later?

But the thoughts of her first real break up – her first real heartbreak – were far too overwhelming.

"Everything okay, kiddo?" she heard a voice ask, tearing her from her thoughts, causing Victoria to jump.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Victoria lied. She could tell by the look on her father's face that he knew she was lying.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've got to go do some homework though," Victoria said, scurrying upstairs before her dad could ask any more questions. If he did, she'd surely lose it. She sat at her room staring at the wall, going over and over what had just happened. She picked up a book, throwing it against the wall, angry at herself for hurting him and angry at him.

She didn't even know what she was angry at him. Because he was so good to her? Because his goodness and his kindness made this so impossibly hard? Because she knew that one day someone else would come along and she would have to watch him be happy.

And then she found herself angry at both of their parents; angry that she had to keep this secret for the Gallagher's sake and angry that she was born into this demon mess.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on the door as John answered it. He was surprised to see who was standing there.<p>

"Uh, I think you've got the wrong Winchester house," John said.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Smarty Pants. I'm here to see you, actually," Greer said back.

"Uh, okay," John said. "You want to come in?"

"No, out here is fine. I need to talk to you about something. Well, ask you for some advice," Greer replied, going over and sitting down on the porch swing.

"I don't think I'll be good at it, but I can try. You sure you don't want to talk to Renee about this or something?" John asked. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him, joining Greer on the porch swing.

"No, no. You're Cole's best friend," Greer replied.

"Okay, what's up?" John asked.

"I don't know if Cole's told you about it, but my mom asked me to come live with her next year. I'd go in the summer and then, well, I'd stay for the school year," Greer started.

"Yeah, he did," John replied. Poor, Cole. He had been talking about it for a while now. Cole knew that it was best for Greer but he knew he'd miss her. He was really falling for her and John suspected that those two were about ready to use the 'L' word. And for her to go to California? Well, that'd really suck.

"I've talked to Cole and he says he's fine with it, you know? But I know he's not and I don't want to leave him but… but I really do want to be with my mom," Greer said.

John nodded, "I know. Well, were you two thinking about trying long distance?"

"Maybe," Greer answered.

John was so grateful for the fact that he would be in Pennsylvania with Renee next year because he couldn't imagine what doing a long distance relationship would be like.

"I don't know. It'd be hard but I'd be willing to give it a try. Cole's just so good to me and I-, I really like him. But I really think I need to go," Greer confessed.

"You've talked to him about this right? How you're feeling?" John asked. He cringed at himself on the inside. Where the hell had that come from?

"Not really. I just feel like he feels bad enough and I shouldn't burden him with my feelings," Greer admitted.

"I don't know. Look, he can take it. He's a lot tougher than he seems. Honestly, I think you should go, but that doesn't mean you and Cole have to end. You can keep in touch, come back on breaks. If you really… like each other that much, you'll make it work. And Cole will be fine. He's a big boy," John replied.

"Thanks, John. I just don't want to hurt him," Greer said.

"I know you don't," John said back. "I've got his back and it's obvious you care about him a lot. It'll be hard as balls, but you'll be fine."

"You know, you're not too bad at this whole pep talk thing," Greer chuckled.

"Don't tell anyone," John said back, causing her to laugh.

* * *

><p>"So you're in?" Meredith asked the person on the other line. Dean overheard her talking to someone and wondered who it was. "Great. We could use all the hunters we can get. I think we're getting closer to finding it, so be ready. Alright, great. It's great talking to you too. Bye."<p>

"Who was that?" Dean asked, startling Meredith.

"Jesus, Dean! You scared me," she said, gasping.

"Sorry, who was that?" Dean repeated.

"Nate," Meredith answered simply. She watched as Dean frowned. "What? I thought if you could call your boyfriend then I'd call mine."

"Not funny, Mer," Dean grumbled.

"Sorry," she said. "Look, we need all the help we can get on this hunt. I have a feeling it's not going to be like a simple salt and burn thing."

"But you have to invite Nate?" Dean asked.

"Well, yeah. He was up against the same thing. He and Sadie," Meredith answered.

Dean sighed, closing his eyes, "I'm sorry. I know I've been in a bad mood today."

"It's okay. You've been through a lot today and I'm sure me adding Nate into the equation isn't helping. It's just, come on, Dean. You can't possibly think that my interest in him is anything but friendly," Meredith said.

"I-, I know," he sighed.

"Hey, come here," Meredith said, pulling him into her arms. "You know when you always tell me that it's going to be okay? Now it's my turn. It's all going to be okay, Dean, and Cas… well, you can always work it out. Just calm down a little for me, okay? You start to worry me when you get all high strung like this."

Dean smirked, "You could uh, help me out." He wiggled his eyebrows once suggestively.

"Dean," she giggled, rolling her eyes playfully. Before she could say anything else, they heard someone cough.

"Hey, can I uh, will one of you take me to Haley's?" Victoria asked, standing in the doorway to the living room.

"Yeah, why?" Dean asked.

"I just need to talk to her," Victoria replied. She was on the verge of tears but wouldn't let herself cry. She hadn't let herself cry all day and wasn't about to start now.

"Everything okay?" Meredith asked, recognizing the heartbreak written all over her daughter's face.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to Haley," Victoria answered. Meredith and Dean nodded. They knew not to pry.

"I'll take you, baby girl. Come on," Dean said. It was killing him not to pry. What had Tyler done? Did he break her heart? God, he was going to kill him. But he couldn't yet. He could tell that if he asked her about it, she'd probably break right then and there. Dean pulled away from Meredith grabbed his keys, and Victoria followed him out to the car.

The car ride was a short, but silent one. Dean turned on some music, hoping to cheer her up but it didn't look like it was working.

When they got to the house, Victoria hopped out of the car, "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, sweetie," Dean said, parking the car and following her to the door. She knocked on the door and waited as Sawyer opened the door.

"Hey, you two," she greeted, smiling.

"Hey," Dean said. "She's here to see Haley. Mind if I come in and talk to Sammy?"

"Of course not," Sawyer said, stepping out of the door and letting Dean and Victoria in. "Haley's up in her room." Victoria headed upstairs to her cousin's room while Dean followed Sawyer to the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Sawyer asked, in hushed tones.

"I think Tyler broke up with her. I swear, I'll rip his lungs out!" Dean exclaimed.

"Dean," Sawyer started.

"Sammy, I need you to convince me not to do anything rash," Dean said, seeing his brother.

"Uh oh. What happened?" Sam asked.

Victoria could hear her dad downstairs and wanted more than anything to go down there and tell him that it was her fault. She was the horrible heartbreaker that had been pushing him away from a long time now. Victoria had ruined their relationship and she felt awful.

"Hey, you okay?" Haley asked, seeing the look on her cousin's face. Oh no. She knew what was coming next.

"I broke up with Tyler," Victoria replied, softly.

"What? Why? What happened?" Haley asked, gently. Victoria closed the door behind her and then went to sit on Haley's bed next to her. She was going to try to be brave.

"I-, it just became too much. I couldn't keep lying to him and pushing him away to keep the family secret and I had already ruined things because I couldn't tell him. Hunting's just become a bigger part of my life – especially since we're getting closer – but he started asking questions too and it got harder and harder to keep it from him. And then about a month ago his dad something to me about not dragging him into it and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. I just felt like I was dragging him into it and I couldn't and… and… I broke up with him, Haley," she rambled, blurting it all out.

"Mr. Gallagher said something to you?" Haley asked. Victoria nodded. "Come here." Haley began to pull her cousin in for a hug but Victoria resisted.

"I can't. I can't because if I hug you I'm going to fall apart and I've- all day I've been able to keep it together but now…" she trailed off. She let a tear run down her face and that was it. Haley pulled Victoria into her arms as Victoria turned into a sobbing mess.

"I feel awful, Haley. I hurt him… I think I did some real damage. He's been amazing to me and this is what I do back. And I miss him. I miss him already," Victoria admitted.

"I know, I know. Just-, just hug me," Haley comforted, hugging her cousin and best friend tighter.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thank you so much to dandy44, Record 7, Tiffani Kai, and Deangirl93 for reviewing the last chapter. The waiting is almost over. Just one more chapter until the big hunt! Let me know what you think of this one.

Also, The One That Got Away should be udpated soon. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with it.


	46. Last Days, Birthdays & Discoveries

Meredith watched the clock and knew she wasn't the only one. All of her students had finished their exam and were staring up at the clock, fidgeting in their chairs, and tapping their toes, eager for school to be over. Why? Not because every student wanted school to end but today was the last day of school. The minute hand hit twelve and she smiled.

"Alright. Pass in your exams and have a nice summer. You all have been so fun to teach this year and I wish you the best next year," Meredith said, dismissing her students.

She heard yeses and cheers from her students as they all scrambled to shuffle their exams in a messy pile before packing their stuff up and handing it in.

"Thank you," Meredith said as the students turned in their exams. She collected, shuffling them into a neater pile and then putting the exams away in a manila folder so that she could take them home and grade them.

"Mrs. Winchester?" she heard a voice say, causing her to look up and see three girls in her class.

"Hi," she said back.

"We just wanted to say thank you. This year was so fun and I loved all the books we read," the first girl said.

"Yeah. I didn't even like English till I took this class," the second chimed in.

"It was awesome," the third girl added.

"Oh, and happy birthday," the first one said.

"Aw, thank you. Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed the class this year. I had a lot of fun teaching. Have a nice summer, girls," Meredith smiled.

"Thanks," they all giggled, before leaving the room. Soon enough, all of her students had filed out of the classroom and she was alone. She was packing up her stuff when she heard something walking into her classroom. The footsteps stopped and she looked up, seeing her husband.

"What're you doing here?" she asked playfully.

"Coming to see my beautiful wife," Dean replied, smoothly.

"Whooo! Yeah. Graduation, baby!" John yelled, running through the halls, coincidentally, right by his parents. Meredith and Dean exchanged glances, laughing.

"Raised him right," Dean said, proudly.

Meredith chuckled, "Can you believe he's going off to college? It just feels like last time I checked, he and Jude were arguing over whose favorite breakfast food was waffles and dressing up just like you. Since when did they grow up on us?" She got up, throwing a piece of paper in the recycling bin and then leaning up against the desk that Dean was at.

"I don't know. That's something I've been wondering for a while too," Dean agreed, looking over at his wife.

"Makes you feel old," Meredith said.

"Speaking of old, how would we like to celebrate your birthday tonight?" Dean asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Meredith groaned.

"You're practically an old maid now!" Dean teased. Meredith glared at him, smacking his arm hard. "Ow! I was just kidding, babe."

"Mhm," Meredith sounded, unconvinced.

"Happy birthday, baby," He said, pulling her into him and planting a passionate kiss on her lips. She pulled away, smiling up at him, despite the fact that he had just called her an old maid. "You know I love you, Meredith Winchester."

"I kinda like you too," she replied, glaring at him playfully.

* * *

><p>"Okay, we're only stopping in for a minute. No matter how hard my mom tries to rope you into discussion, avoid it at all costs because you and I are celebrating tonight," John said, as he led Renee into his house. The two walked through the hallway that led up to the stairs so that he could drop his stuff off, but he froze as soon as he saw a man standing in the living room in a tan trench coat.<p>

"Renee, get upstairs as fast as you can. Now. And lock the door," John ordered, instantly going into hunter mode. On all of the days, it had to be today!

"Wh-," Renee started, her eyes widening as soon as she saw the strange figure in the living room.

"Go!" John yelled, sending Renee sprinting up the stairs. He heard the door slam upstairs and breathed out a sigh of relief – that was, until he heard doors fling open and footsteps rushing down the steps.

"What's going on?" he heard Flynn ask.

"Go get the knife, Flynn," John said, charging at the man in the room. He swung a punch, causing the man to stumble backwards, holding his face. He held out his arms towards John in a 'stop' signal.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he started.

"Yeah, right," John snapped, swinging another punch and causing the man to duck.

"Victoria, go!" John yelled as he saw Victoria sneaking up on the man. Without hesitation, Victoria drove the knife through the man. Instead of sparks flashing through him, the three Winchesters stood in awe as the man just looked down at the knife and then back at them.

"Ouch," he said.

"Jude, I can't believe you locked yourself out again," they heard a voice say while the man in the trench coat just stood there, the knife still lodged in his chest.

"I'm not used to being home!" Jude defended. Dean, Meredith, and Jude all came through the front door and stopped when they saw the scene in the living room.

"Justice, everyone," Dean said.

"Uncle Cas!" Jude exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"We thought he was a bad guy…" John trailed off.

"Not so much," Meredith chuckled.

"Hm," Dean sounded, in disagreement, causing Cas to sigh.

"I see that," John said, awkwardly. Cas pulled the knife out of his chest, examining it.

"Ah. You still have it. Good. It'll come in handy," Cas said, still highly fascinated with the knife. He wiped the blood off on his trench coat and handed it back to Victoria. "You've really got the Winchester 'stab first, ask later' gene."

"Sorry," Victoria chuckled, uncomfortably. Cas handed her the knife and she reached out, taking it. "Sorry, I uh… I'm just going to go put this away."

"You guys must've been too young to remember him, but Cas is a friend of ours. An angel," Meredith said, nudging Dean to add something.

"Yeah, long time ago," Dean mumbled as Meredith poked him in the ribs with her elbow. "Ow! Jesus, woman!" Flynn, Jude, and John all exchanged glances, laughing.

"I see things haven't changed around here at all," Cas chuckled, examining the family dynamic and looking around the house. It really hadn't changed at all. There had maybe been a few paint coats in between the time Cas had disappeared on them, but nothing was different.

"Uncle Cas, it's so good to see you," Jude chimed in.

"You as well," Cas replied.

"Maybe it wouldn't be if you hadn't been gone for so damn long," Dean growled. Meredith sighed, officially giving up on trying making her husband play nice.

"I'm here now," Cas said, stoically.

"Yeah," Dean replied, having nothing else to say. There was a long, awkward pause before he said something else. "I see that." Oh, Dean. Always needs to have the last word.

"Look, I can't stay long. I'm need to be back in heaven as soon as possible so let's make this quick," Cas started, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"What is it?" Jude asked, curiously.

"I haven't found the First yet," Cas said.

"Thanks, Cas," Dean said, sarcastically.

"But I have found a spell that will locate him. It must be performed under at sundown on the eve of a full moon. Here's the list of things you'll need," Cas said, handing Jude the list.

"Full moon? That's tonight," Meredith said.

"I know. You don't have much time. Be ready," Cas replied.

"So what? You just pull another Houdini on us for another ten years and expect us to be fine?" Dean exclaimed.

"I actually get that reference," Cas said, amused.

"Yeah… well…" Dean said, searching for a comeback.

"Alright, kids. Let's leave these two alone," Meredith announced, guiding Jude out of the room in hopes that the rest would follow. And they did. Now it was just Dean and Cas while Meredith led the kids to the kitchen. John, on the other hand, hurried upstairs to tell Renee that it was safe to come out now.

"Why are you so angry?" Cas asked.

"Wh- why am I so angry?" Dean exclaimed. "Do you even have to ask, Cas?"

"I was helping people," Cas started.

"Yeah, and that doesn't mean you can't answer our calls or pick up the damn phone once in a while," Dean spat.

"We don't get good reception in heaven," Cas replied.

Dean gaped at Cas' insensitivity, "It's like I don't even know you anymore, man! Has heaven really made you stone cold? More than ever now, it's like you've got a giant stick up your-."

"I'm sorry, Dean," Cas interjected, his eyes watering with sincerity and genuine warmth. "Once they stripped Lucifer from my head, it was hard to answer any calls. I owed it to everyone up there to recreate a garrison, especially because it was torn apart. My family needed me."

Dean sighed. He knew Cas was right. If his family had been in danger, he'd drop everything to help them, "And what about us? What? We're just some limp noodles?"

"I knew you'd be fine without me. You had Nimtherial to protect you and if there was everything you couldn't handle, I'd know," Cas replied. "You had a normal life. You didn't need me anymore."

Dean looked at Cas. He knew that Cas was right. They had maintained a normal life up until now but Dean just wished that Cas knew that he wanted him to visit even when things were normal. Cas was family. But Dean would never say that. Too chick flick. More than anything, he had just missed the crazy, culturally challenged angel and had channeled it all into anger for abandoning them, "This doesn't mean you're completely forgiven, you got that?"

"I think so," Cas replied.

"Good," Dean said. The two looked like they wanted to hug each other but instead just stood their ground. "So… see you around, I guess."

"Goodbye, Dean," Cas said, before disappearing.

* * *

><p>"An angel?" Renee asked, in shock.<p>

"Yep," John replied.

"Oh my God. There was an angel in your house, John!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know. Apparently he was around a lot when we were kids. We were just too young to remember it really," John answered.

"This is… unreal, John," Renee said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, it is. But hey, why don't we take our minds off of it now and focus on this. You and I are officially done with high school and I thought we could celebrate with some lunch," John said, holding out a brown paper bag.

"You sure?" Renee asked.

"Yeah. The last thing I'd like to think about on my last day of high school is the whole supernatural stuff," John answered.

"No, I meant about lunch. I already feel bad taking you away from your family since it's your mom's birthday today and everything. But the demon stuff too," Renee said, chuckling a little after.

"Yeah, it's fine. Besides, we have that whole family dinner thing tonight anyways. It's fine," John reassured. "Go ahead and see what I made you for lunch."

"Ooh, peanut butter and jelly with the crusts cut off!" she smiled, seeing the sandwich.

"I thought we could picnic on your bedroom floor again and then uh… you know, a little afternoon delight," he winked.

Renee laughed, "So that's what that song is about!"

"Yeah, silly," John chuckled.

Renee couldn't help but think about what Greer had said a couple of months ago about the two being 'married'. Whenever they were alone in her house, like now, she continually had to remind herself that this was her parents' house and not her and John's. It really felt like it sometimes. And honestly, she really didn't mind the idea. She and John with the two or three kids and a dog named spot? It didn't sound all too bad…

"What're you thinking about?" John asked, noticing the look on her face.

"Nothing," she replied. "Come on. Let's go upstairs. I'm starving." She began to walk away but John wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to him.

"Uh uh. You're not getting away that easily," John said, playfully.

"It's nothing, John," she said.

"I want to know," he said back.

"It's-, don't worry about it, okay? It's just silly grown up stuff," Renee shook her head.

"I can take it," John shot back.

"John, let me go," she groaned, playfully.

"Alright, well if you're not going to tell me, I'm just going to have to tickle it out of you," he said, beginning to tickle her on her stomach and rib cage.

"John. John, stop! John!" she squealed through laughter as she struggled against her boyfriend. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you."

"Tell me," he said, turning her to face him.

"I was just thinking about something Greer said…" Renee trailed off. Maybe she could lie to him. But she knew that he knew her better than that and he'd be able to tell if she were lying. "She told me that we were very 'married'." She used finger quotes around the word married.

John shot her a funny look, "What does that mean?"

"I don't even know. It's dumb, right? Let's just forget I ever said anything about," Renee said, rolling her eyes and brushing it off.

"No, no, keep going," John encouraged.

Now it was Renee's turn to shoot John a funny look, "What?"

"I don't know," John shrugged. "The idea of settling down and having a couple of rugrats doesn't sound all too bad… you know, in like ten years."

"You're not running for the hills?" Renee asked, surprised.

"Nope. I've been stuck with you for the past eighteen years already," John teased, attempting to take the subject off of marriage. It really would've sent him running for the hills if it hadn't been Renee. But he had loved Renee for so long that it didn't seem all that bad… for the way future. Whether it was love or being in love with her, he knew he always would be. He just didn't really want to talk about commitment like that now. Waaay too scary!

"Alright, alright. Come on. I really did mean it when I said I was starving. Let's eat lunch, especially after you spent all that time cutting the crusts off," Renee said.

"Yeah, you should remember that for future reference. So you know, when I ask you something and I can be like: "hey, I cut the crusts off" and I'll have leverage. I work in mysterious ways, Renee. You may never know when-," John said, playfully.

"Hush, you," she chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully as she pulled him upstairs with you.

* * *

><p>"Ready?" Sam asked, looking from Meredith and Dean. They both nodded their heads and Sam threw some of the grinded up powder at one map of the US and another at a map of the world. The three watched as on the world map, a hole burned through the US and in the map of the US, a hole burned through Minnesota.<p>

Sam, brave enough to get close to the map, peered at the tiny hold burned through Minnesota, squinting at the city name. He stepped away, looking satisfied.

"We got him. Grant, Minnesota," Sam said.

"What's even in Minnesota?" Dean asked.

"That's probably why the First is there," Meredith answered.

"So you know what this means, right?" Sam asked.

"We go after the First," Meredith replied, deep in thought.

"Tomorrow. We leave tomorrow," Dean proclaimed, determined.

"Hey, you three! Get your silly butts over here! We're about to start cake," Molly hollered from the back porch door. Meredith, Sam, and Dean had escaped for just long enough to make the concoction and cast the spell. They had scrambled all afternoon to get the ingredients, before grinding them all into a powder.

"Coming!" Meredith called back. "Come on. If we don't go, she'll keep bothering us about it."

"What happened to a demon free birthday? You promised, Mer?" Molly asked, as soon as she got to the back porch where Molly stood, persistently.

"I know, I know, but this one was important," Meredith replied.

Molly frowned, "Alright, well promise me that from now on, it's a demon free birthday."

"I promise, Molly," Meredith answered, trying not to seem irritated. She knew her best friend was only looking out for her. She shot her friend a weak smile before entering the house.

"Okay, wait here," Molly said, running to go get the cake and leaving Meredith alone.

"We'll tell them later tonight," Dean whispered in her ear, catching up to her. "Once this is all over." Dean motioned to the party where the Winchesters and Walshes have convened, once again, for another family dinner.


	47. Come Away to the Water

**Author's Note:** Super long chapter! Here it is. Thank you to ALL who reviewed the last chapter. Please, please, PLEASE let me know what you thought about this one. Please listen to Come Away to the Water by Maroon 5 and Rozzi Crane.

* * *

><p>Meredith bit her lip nervously, thinking the plan over. She came and joined her husband in the living room, just them two, and sat down next to him, admitting, "I don't know about this."<p>

"Wh- what do you mean?" Dean asked. He had to admit that he himself was worried as well, but thought that Meredith would be sure. Now that she seemed hesitant, it only made him rethink it all over again.

"I mean… we don't even have weapons! What if the First isn't killed easily? What if he can't die like normal demons? I- I just don't know, Dean," Meredith confessed, worriedly. This is what they had been waiting for. She swore under her breath. "We put so much work into preparing for this and we don't even have the frickin' weapons!"

"Death said we'd get the scythe when the time was right?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, and the time is pretty freaking right. Damn it. Serves me right to trust Death… Who was I kidding?!" Meredith exclaimed, her anxiety rising within her.

"Babe, you've got to calm down. For you and me both. Look, it's going to work out. I don't know how but it will, okay?" Dean comforted. He hoped that if he would also believe the lies that he was telling her. Somehow, if he did, it'd make going into this so much easier.

"What if we just waited? You know, until we were more prepared and-," Meredith started.

"We can't. What if the First keeps moving?" Dean asked.

Meredith nodded slowly, "Well, we have the spell…"

"Actually, we don't," Dean started, nervously. He was afraid she'd freak out even more now.

"What?" She asked, her eyes widening.

"Cas said it was one of those 'use once' kinda things," Dean admitted.

She sighed, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't seem relevant," Dean shrugged.

Meredith opened her mouth to say something but the doorbell rang before she could. "You expecting someone?"

"No," Dean replied.

"Huh," Meredith sounded, suspicious.

"I'll go," Dean said. She frowned but let him go anyways. Dean got up, going over to the window in the living room – the closest one to the door – to see if anyone was there. No one stood at the front door so Dean cautiously went to the door, opening it and checking his surroundings. Nothing but a long, brown package sat on the doorstep. Dean picked up the package quickly, before slamming the door shut and locking it.

As soon as Meredith heard the door slam, she asked, "Babe, everything okay?"

"Do you have a secret admirer?" Dean joked.

"What?" Meredith asked, having no idea what Dean was talking about.

"Happy belated birthday, baby," he said, holding up the brown package.

"Is that what I think it is?" Meredith asked, her eyes widening.

"Let's find out," Dean replied, a mischievous grin on his face. He and Meredith tore through the long, brown package to reveal the colt sitting in a bunch of mailroom confetti. The two gawked at the beautiful gun. In the box lay a card as well. Meredith took out the car and read it aloud, chuckling.

"Winchesters, one day it'll be me against you but for now, let's make sure I've still got my place in hell. XO, Crowley," Meredith read.

"He's something," Dean chuckled.

She nodded, "And now it actually feels like we can go after the First. God, I can't believe we're doing this. After all this time of being retired…"

"At least we still now what we're doing," Dean added.

"Let's hope," she murmured.

* * *

><p>Jude kept his right foot on the gas pedal, going a steady 80. Okay, so the speed limit was 50 but it was one of those lousy, one lane back roads that cops never patrolled. He blinked a couple of times, rubbing his sore eyes. He had been driving for 287 miles to be exact with only two more to go. His siblings were all fast asleep – to his knowledge.<p>

"How much longer?" John mumbled from the passenger seat.

"Two miles. I thought you were asleep, Jude said, looking over at his brother.

"I was, but I had a weird dream," John said.

"Oh yeah? Clowns or midgets?" Jude teased.

"Shut up," John scoffed. He straightened up in the seat, taking a sip from his half full water bottle. "We're getting close to it… So Nate found out where specifically the First was hiding out at?"

"Yeah. Guess he's not so bad after all," Jude answered.

"Yeah. You ever think this'd happen?" John asked, changing the subject.

"Nah, when this whole thing started, I didn't think it'd come to this – some big, epic battle and everything," Jude admitted.

"Yeah, me either. I didn't even we'd have to worry about the prophecy but apparently we do. It's weird, you know? The fact that we were just born into being hunters. Not like Mom and Dad were but at least with this, it feels like we don't have a choice," John replied.

"You don't have to convince me," Jude replied. John felt bad. He knew that hunting had interfered a lot with Jude's normal life.

"If you could go back, you still wouldn't make a different choice, would you?" John asked, looking over at his big brother.

"'Course not. Would you?" Jude asked.

"Never," John replied. It's true. Even though they both were born into it, there's no way they'd choose normal over their family. Both brothers didn't say anything next.

"Do you think we'd be hunters if it weren't for the prophecy?" Jude asked, interrupting the silence.

"I mean, probably not," John replied. "We wouldn't have to train or anything."

"Yeah, but Mom and Dad would've told us. There's no way they'd be like the Gallaghers," Jude said.

John nodded, "Yeah, I think we still would've been hunters though. Even if we hadn't had to train for it."

Jude chuckled, "Me too."

"It's in our blood, my man," John joked.

"And who doesn't want to be able to kill things that go bump in the night?" Jude asked back.

"Yeah," John said. "Hey, how about we turn up the music for the rest of the two miles we have. You still got Led Zeppelin II in here?"

"You know it," Jude smiled over at his brother, before turning the music on.

"Hm," Victoria mumbled, as the music came blaring through the speakers.

"What the hell?!" Flynn exclaimed, stirring. He squinted before fully opening his eyes to see his brother's laughing at the twins' reaction. "Not cool, dude."

"Hey, we've got two miles left and some serious lifting of the spirits to do. There's no way we can gank this son of a bitch half asleep, now can we?" Jude asked, looking over at John.

"Of course not," John said, turning the music up even louder. And then Jude began to sing along to the music. "Ohhh, want a whole lotta love!" Jude joined in next and soon all three of them were jamming out to the Zep song for the next two miles.

"Hey!" Flynn protested as soon as the music cut off.

"We're here," Jude said back. The four got out of the comet, stretching their legs. They were all now more alert than they had been all day. The sun was beginning to set already as four other cars pulled into the abandoned gravely parking lot. He watched as Uncle Sam and his parents got out of the Impala, Nate and another woman got out of the second car, the third car was occupied by people he didn't recognize, and the last car contained Cole and his girlfriend. He could barely believe that Cole was hunting today, but then he reminded himself that he had been hunting at sixteen as well. He figured it had something to do with the fact that Cole had never appeared to be anything like a hunter, but maybe it had something to do with the girlfriend. According to John, Cole was pretty good as well. Jude checked to see if the colt was still tucked safely into his leather jacket and realized it was. He smiled a little, before joining the rest.

"Meredith, Dean, this is Tom and Dana. They're another ex-hunter family. You said you needed all the hands you could get," Nate introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Meredith said, shaking both of their hands. Dean, in turn, mumbled some greeting, shaking their hands.

"You ready, Death?" Sadie asked, draping an arm around Meredith's shoulders. Dean and Nate both attempted not to stare at the two since they had heard all about the adventures of Death and Die. It was hard not to think back to that…

"Ready as ever," Meredith answered.

Jude and the twins joined the adults while John went over to check on Cole and Greer.

"Be careful, okay?" Cole reminded.

"I know," Greer said. "You too."

"I'll be right behind you," Cole reassured.

Once everyone was together, Dean, Sam, and Meredith went over the plans as everyone stared at the rundown concrete building.

"Alright, me, Mer, and Sam are going to start right at the front while Sadie and Nate takes the back door," Dean introduced.

"The rest of you will go with Nate and Sadie to the backdoor but you wait. Once Nate and Sadie have okayed it, go ahead. Cole, Greer, take the middle levels while John and Jude, you guys fight your way to the top," Sam continued.

"Victoria and Flynn, you two will stick with Tom and Dana. You'll cover the levels right between Cole and Greer, and John and Jude," Meredith instructed, firmly.

"Why do we have to be chaperoned?" Victoria protested.

"Because it's your first hunt," she responded, quickly and sharply. "I'll send you right back home if you keep that up, Victoria Mary Winchester."

"Fine," Victoria muttered, scowling.

"Hey, at least we're here," Flynn said quietly, nudging his sister.

"Everyone ready?" Dean asked. There were responses of yes along with nods before they were all splitting up and preparing for attack. They knew that the place would be swarming with demons and croats and that the First was on the top floor – farthest and safest from everyone else.

As they split up, Nate chuckled, elbowing Meredith and referring to Victoria's reaction earlier, "The family that slays together, really does stay together. She's stubborn like you."

"Yeah," she sighed, chuckling a little.

"Mer, come on," Dean urged, trying not to glare at Nate.

"Good luck," Meredith said to Nate.

"You too," he said back, before she returned to Dean and Sam.

Now that it was just them three, they took a moment to say a few things.

"Here we go," Sam said.

"Yeah," Dean mumbled.

"You two be safe, okay?" Meredith asked. It had been a while since the three of them had hunted together and honestly, she had kind of missed it all.

"You too," Sam said.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Dean said, light heartedly. The two exchanged a short but passionate kiss before Meredith reached her hand out to the front door of the concrete building.

She looked from Sam to Dean before, saying, "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>"Cole, watch out!" Greer yelled, seeing a demon attempting to creep up behind Cole. Cole, on the other hand, was preoccupied with another demon and hadn't had much time to move out of the way.<p>

"Wh-" he started.

"Duck!" she yelled, pushing the demon that Cole was fighting out of the way and charging at the demon behind Cole, accidentally shoving him, and driving her demon killing knife through the demon. "Sorry, honey."

"It's okay," Cole said, grinning at the site of his girlfriend kicking some major demon ass.

"Cole!" she chuckled, turning around as soon as she sensed the demon that Cole had been fighting before. She drove the knife right through its heart and watched it fall to the floor.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Uh uh. I know that look," she said.

"What?" he asked again. She shot him a look and he laughed. "So what if I think it's hot that my girlfriend's fighting demons?"

"So not the right time," she said, rolling her eyes playfully, although she had to admit, she was flattered.

"You two alright?" they heard a voice ask, causing both to start.

"Sorry," the woman's voice said.

"Yeah, we're fine, Aunt Meredith," Cole said, feeling his heart beating out of his chest.

"Good. Your dad and your uncle are on the first floor, making sure that no more demons get up here," Meredith said. "I'm going to go check on the rest."

"Okay," Cole said, nodding. "Need any help?"

"They could always use some help downstairs. The place is swarming with croats so you can even use a gun," Meredith replied. Cole and Greer exchanged glances before racing off to the first floor of the concrete building. Meredith, on the other hand, hurried up flights and flights of stairs, checking on the twins and the other hunters, before being stopped, just above the floor that the twins had been working on. Just as she entered the hall, she was immediately faced with three croats and a couple of demons.

She shot at them, watching them fall to the floor but knew that it would be no use to waste bullets on the demon. The demon narrowed his eyes at her, focusing in, and suddenly, they were engaged in an all out hand to hand combat fight. The demon grabbed her, but she quickly spun out of his grip. He threw a punch and although she blocked it, it caused her to drop her gun. The gun dropped, firing off and hitting the demon right in the calf, causing him to yelp out in pain.

The gun slid further away from the two and she raced after it, tripping over one of the croat's bodies. There was no way that she was going to let the demon use it against her. She looked back at the demon that seemed to be gaining on her, despite the injury and blood leaving a trail behind him. She grabbed the gun, firing it again at the demon. He stumbled back but then laughed coolly.

"It's going to take a lot more than that, sweetheart," he cackled. She fired the gun once more, causing the demon to stagger.

"Don't call me sweetheart," she growled.

He shook his head, glaring, "You think you'll get to your boys in time, but it's too late. They're already dead."

"You're lying!" she shouted at him, but he only began to laugh.

"You don't have to get defensive, sweetheart. You're only mad because you know it's true," he said. Meredith, paralyzed with fear, thought back to the first dream she had. The nightmare about losing John, Jude, and Dean. No. Demons lied all the time. He wasn't telling the truth.

She realized that, only too late, for it dawned on her that the demon had her cornered as she sat on the ground. She fired one shot, hoping to distract the demon as he staggered backwards once more. Meredith shot up, bolting but the demon was too quick. He grabbed her, slamming her back against the hard cement wall and causing her to cry out in pain. He did it once more, earning the same effect.

Meredith struggled against him, trying to push him off of her but it was no use. So this time, she raised her knee, kicking him right where it hurt. The demon bent over in pain and she shoved him off of her, running down the hall, gun in hand. She began to chant the exorcism as she ran from the demon, shouting it. The demon, although coughing up black smoke, chased after Meredith, grabbing her by the ankle and pulling her down to the ground. Her head hit the floor with a loud thud and she could tell by the way her head was throbbing and the impact of the fall, that she probably had a concussion or two. She blinked, hoping that her vision would clear up and she would feel as groggy but it was only getting worse. Her head had started bleeding as she felt a punch to her face.

She groaned as she felt a sharp pinch on her left wrist before hearing someone screaming. And after that, it was all black.

* * *

><p>"Mom!" Jude yelled as she saw the demon digging a knife into his mother's wrist. Before the demon could cut too much, Jude was charging at him with the demon killing knife in his hands. He had given John the colt because Jude could hear screaming from the floor below them, leaving Jude with the demon killing knife. They both agreed that Jude would go and there was no way they'd waste a bullet on a demon that wasn't the First. The demon looked up at Jude and it was just enough time for Jude to run at him, pushing him to the ground.<p>

He sunk the knife into the demon, watch the life flash from him.

"Mom. Mom," Jude whimpered, kneeling over his mother as he tried to wake her. "Come on, Mom. You've got to wake up. Help! Somebody help!" There were at least ten other hunters in the building. Someone had to come and take her to the hospital. He scrambled to wrap up her wounds, taking off his jacket and pressing it into the cut on her wrist. He could tell the she had some sort of head trauma but he was most worried about her bleeding out.

"Jude, what's wrong?" Dean asked, bursting through the door. His eyes widened and his heart stopped as soon as he saw his wife unconscious and bleeding on the floor.

"No. No!" Dean yelled, seeing the demon the floor next to her. He ran over, punching his face over and over again.

"Dad, he's dead," Jude yelled. "You've got to go now. You've got to take her."

"We can't leave you!" Dean demanded. That's when Dean started to lose it. He was panicking now. "No. No, no, no. Baby, you can't. You've got to wake up on me, okay? You've got to… please, baby."

"Dad. Dad!" Jude said, stopping Dean and getting him to look up for once. "You've got to take her now. We'll be fine here."

Dean stared at his son for a moment. This wasn't the little boy who ate brownie batter off the spatula and gave shoe laces to girls anymore. Jude was a grown man and damn good hunter. He knew they'd be alright so he said: "Okay. Yeah, okay. I'll-, I'll take her."

"Hurry, Dad," Jude said back. Dad scooped Meredith up into his arms, carrying her bridal style, and started towards the staircase. There was no way he trusted an elevator here. Once Dean and Meredith were gone, a figure appeared. Jude prepared himself for fight, until the person turned around. Jude's eyes widened, recognizing the man.

"No. No! You can't have her. You can't take her," Jude demanded, desperately.

"Your desperation is pathetic," Death replied. "But I'm not here for her."

"Oh… well, what're you-," Jude began, until he realized what had happened.

"If you'd calm down and stop yelling, I'd tell you," Death answered.

Jude closed his mouth, just standing there. The two stood there in silence for several moments before Jude snapped, "Well, I don't have all day."

"Don't snap, Jude. It's rude," Death reminded. He sighed, handing him the scythe. "I'll come to collect it when it's all over." Jude took the scythe, examining.

"What're you waiting for you? It was you who said you didn't have all day, correct?" Death asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Right," Jude murmured, uncomfortably.

"Hurry. You're needed," Death warned, before disappearing.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" he heard someone scream above him.

"John," he whispered under his breath. Jude bolted for staircase, running up three flights of stairs before bursting through the room. The top floor. This was it. The floor consisted of only one large room. There were pieces of bad furniture with a large window overlooking the dead farmland of Minnesota.

"Jude!" John sighed out in relief, seeing his brother. As Jude got to the room, John was writhing on the floor in pain while he crawled towards the colt that had been dropped. A man stood over him, his hand clenched. The presence of Jude seemed to distract him for a second though. The man wasn't at all what Jude had expected. He was tall and looked barely thirty. He had dirty blonde, wavy hair just above his shoulders with a beard.

"John!" Jude yelled, but with the flick of the First's hand, Jude was pressed up against the wall, dropping Death's scythe. The moment was enough for John to grab the colt that had been lying on the floor and immediately, he shot at the First.

The bullet struck him, the skin on his face beginning to crack. It was working. The First reeled from the pain, staggering backwards and yelling out. It almost seemed as if he was beginning to disintegrate when he began to collect himself. He stood up straight again and then began laughing.

"The best part about that damn gun is that they don't say what the five things are that that thing can't kill," the First began to laugh. He began to speak in an over the top, dramatic voice. "But the effort was valiant. You Winchesters never disappoint. And once I'm done with you, I'll move onto the others. It's really fortunate for me that you brought so many along."

"But which one to pick first. John, you really have spunk but Jude such… anger I'm sensing right now. It's delicious."

John and Jude exchanged glances and it was as if they read each other's minds.

"Or you could join me. You both'd make great soldiers," the First said.

"Go to hell," Jude spat. The First tightened his grip on Jude, causing him to gasp for air. Jude made eye contact with John and John knew it was the signal. John shot the first again, firing two shots this time in hopes of buying extra time. Jude fell to the floor, grabbing the scythe.

"I thought I told you that that won't work on me," the First growled.

"Yeah, but this might," Jude said, stabbing the scythe into the First. John fired yet another shot, hoping to weaken the demon and they watched its eyes go wide. The blood dripped from the scythe and the First began to crumble. He fell to the floor, gasping and coughing. Instead of black smoke, they watched as the life went right out of the demon. Jude neared it, checking to see if it was really dead. He took the scythe from the demon and held up.

"So Death came through, huh?" John asked.

"Yeah," Jude replied.

"So... does this mean it's over? Like… really over?" John asked, in shock that they had killed the First.

"I think-, oh my God. Mom," Jude said, his eyes widening.

"What about Mom?" John asked.

"I'll explain in the car. We've got to go," Jude said, practically sprinting from the room.

LINEBREAK

"Baby, you've got to stay with me, okay? You've got to. It's okay," Dean begged.

"Mm," Meredith sounded. She had awakened slightly, but felt like she'd fall asleep any moment now. "I'm tired, Dean. Maybe tomorrow."

"Yeah, but we don't-, why waste time, you know?" Dean asked, not wanting to scare her. Not wanting to believe that there could possibly be no tomorrow for them.

"Dean, I'm cold. Hold me," she pleaded, softly.

"I want to. I do. We've just go to get somewhere first okay?" Dean asked. His heart was about to rip from his chest and felt like there were a thousand daggers in his gut. He couldn't lose his wife. Not after all they had been through. This couldn't be the thing that took him away from her. He had no idea how he was supposed to do it all without her and- no. He wouldn't think of that.

"Dean?" she asked.

"Yes?" he asked back, quickly.

But there was no response.

"No, it's okay, Mer. You can ask me," he encouraged.

"Mm," she mumbled.

"Uh… how about you tell me a story, Mer? You and I can reminisce about it all. How about how we met?" he suggested. Anything to keep her awake.

"I'm too tired," he murmured.

"Okay, we'll both tell it," he suggested, fighting the sobs building up in his throat. He glanced in his rearview mirror, noticing the same car that had been following him for a while now. It was a one lane road but this car was way too close for comfort. "What the hell?"

"Something wrong?" Meredith asked, 'something' being barely audible.

"No, nothing's wrong," Dean replied, anxiously glancing at the car again. This time, it was even closer. Dean sped up, swearing under his breath. The car only sped up faster, right on the bumper of the Impala. "Tell me about that day, Mer. You said you would."

"Overalls," Meredith said.

"What?" Dean asked, speeding up even more as the car got closer. "Shit!" It was almost as if the car was trying to drive him off the road.

"I wore overalls," Meredith said.

"Okay, what else?" Dean asked, desperate for a distraction. His heart was pounding in his chest. It dawned on him at the moment that the car was no coincidence. It was sent after them.

"And you-, you… leather jacket. Yes," she smiled, groggily.

"Meredith. Mer. no!" he yelled as soon as the car finally hit his, driving him right off the road.


	48. I'm Only a Man In a Silly Red Sheet

**Author's Note:** Here's the next chapter! Updates should be pretty quick from now on with this story since it's almost done. I knew the last one was quite a cliffhanger. The song used in this chapter is "Superman" by Five for Fighting. PLEASE listen to it while you read this chapter. The song lyrics are all italicized.

* * *

><p>"<em>I can't stand to fly. I'm not that naïve. I'm just out to find the better part of me…"<em>

"Jude, slow down! What the hell is going on?!" John demanded.

"Mom," was all Jude could say. Right after his father had taken her out of there, he had forced himself to focus on killing the First. Now that he was dead, the reality was starting to set in. he had no idea if his mom was okay and he was racing off to the nearest hospital in search of his parents.

Jude got his dad's answering machine again, swearing and the throwing the phone down on the car floor, swearing, "Damn it, Dad!"

"Stop, Jude! You're starting to scare me. All you keep saying is that it's about mom but you won't explain it to me. What's going on?" John begged, starting to panic. He could only think of the worst and after their victory that was the last thing he wanted to think about.

"She got hurt, okay?" Jude asked, swallowing hard. He didn't want to say it because he didn't want to face the possibilities of what could happen.

John felt as if all the air had been sucked out of him, "W-what? Is it bad? I mean, is she okay?"

Jude paused, not wanting to say it, "I don't know."

Just then, he heard his phone buzzing and swore under his breath. He reached back to get it, hoping it was his dad but saw that it was only Victoria.

"Jude, look out! Stop!" John screamed, his eyes widened. Jude slammed on the break and the two caught their breath, seeing the big accident on the road. There was a big blue van in the middle of the road, crookedly parked, the driver passed out. And on the side of the road, stood Impala, beat up with broken glass.

"Mom! Dad!" Jude screamed putting the car in park and bolting from it, right over to the Impala on the side of the road. He sprinted to the car, quickly opening the door to the front seat to see find his father leaned up against the steering wheel, cuts on his face.

"Dad, wake up! Dad," Jude said, placing a hand on him. He didn't want to move him in fear of making it worse.

"Jude, call an ambulance," Dean mumbled, hearing his son's voice. He attempted to open his eyes but all he got was a flicker from his eyelids and a blurry vision of his eldest son.

"Mom, Dad! Jude, are they okay?" John asked, chasing after them.

"John, get back to the car and call 911. Now!" Jude ordered.

"Dad-," Jude started.

"No. I'll be fine. Help your mother," Dean managed to get out.

"Yeah, yeah okay," Jude said, running over to the passenger side.

"She's awake. She was awake when we were going to the hospital…" Dean murmured.

"Mom, can you hear me?" Jude asked, trying not to let his feelings get in the way. It took him his all to not lose it right there and then and crumble into a ball. He reminded himself that he had to act as though this were anybody so that he could do what he needed to do. He checked her pulse, taking a deep breath as he found it – there was barely one, but it was something.

Dean groaned and Jude glanced over, noticing the piece of glass digging into his father's side.

"Dad, you're-," Jude started.

"Help her first!" Dean demanded.

Jude nodded slowly.

"I called the ambulance. They said they were only a couple of miles away and that they'd be here in a matter of minutes. What can I do?" John asked, coming over to the car, on the driver's side.

"Okay," Jude said. He didn't want to move his mother either so instead, he leaned over her, checking for breathing. She was breathing but the breaths were short and uneven which only made him even more nervous. He wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't dead so it wasn't like he could perform CPR on her or anything. All they could do was wait.

"Dad, you okay?" John asked.

"Fine," Dean replied.

John's eyes widened in horror as soon as he saw the piece of glass sticking out of his dad's side, "Oh my God, Dad!"

"John, don't," Jude warned.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Nothing, Dad," John replied, exchanging glances with Jude. Jude shot him a look of approval before returning his attention to his mom.

She was really pale and he could tell that she was losing a lot of blood. He pressed the cloth that they had used to get her wrist to stop bleeding but saw the blood was soaking right through. He used a clean edge, pressing it against her cut. He could tell that she was cut elsewhere too as he searched for something else to stop the blood.

Suddenly, they all heard tires screech to a halt on the road and several doors opening.

"Oh my God. Oh my God!" they heard a girls' voice yell.

"I'll go. You stay and make sure they're okay," John said. Jude nodded and John sprinted back onto the road to find Sam, Victoria, and Flynn all getting out of the car.

"What happened?!" Victoria cried, tears forming in her eyes.

"It's okay, an ambulance will be right over," John reassured.

"Mom! Dad!" Flynn called out, starting towards the beat up Impala at the side of the road. Sam was already halfway there, helping Jude.

"Flynn, you can't!" John warned.

At that moment, they finally heard sirens going off and spotted those ambulance lights ablaze. Several people rushed out of the ambulance, equipment and all, and suddenly, everything was moving in slow motion. John stood, frozen, as he watched them remove his parents from the car, speaking quickly as Jude described to them what he saw as he arrived at the scene. A pair of people helped the other driver as well, who was proclaimed dead at the scene. How the hell did this happen?

_"I'm more than bird. I'm more than a plane. I'm more than a pretty face beside a train. It's not easy to be me…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Two days later…<strong>

Dean sat at his wife's bedside, holding her hand as he impatiently waited for her to wake up from the surgery. She had had a couple of lacerations, a concussion, and on top of that, a huge amount of blood loss. Now, she was fine, but she hadn't woken up yet. She was paler than normal. Dean's eyes slid up to the blood bag that was securely fastened to one of her veins.

Dean was at loss. He had no idea what he was going to do if she didn't wake up. No, he wouldn't think about that. She would wake up. She had to.

He scrunched his face up, feeling the tightness of the stitches in his forehead, but ignored the pain anyways. Nothing compared to how he was feeling inside.

"Dad," he heard a small voice say, causing him to look up, but not let go of her hand.

"Yeah?" he asked, glancing up at his daughter who stood in the doorway to the hospital room.

"Dad, you need to eat something. I brought you some coffee and toast," Victoria said.

"Thanks, kiddo," Dean said, stoically as he stared emptily out of the hospital room window. But Victoria stood there, glaring at her dad.

"You're not even going to eat, are you?" she accused, crossly.

"Look, don't worry about me-," Dean started.

"Damn it, Dad! We're worried enough about Mom as it is. The least you can do is relieve us of worrying about you too!" she snapped.

"You watch your tone, young lady," Dean warned.

"Whatever," she said, rolling her eyes and storming out of the room. Dean felt bad but they were all on edge. Victoria, however, was still angry as she made her way back to the cafeteria.

"He didn't take it," she said, slamming down the plate of toast and storming away. Flynn got up, following her away out into the hallway.

"Hey, wait up!" he yelled after her.

"What?" she snapped, turning around to face Flynn.

"I know… we just have to think about what he's going through," Flynn said.

"Yeah, and that doesn't mean he has to act like that. We're just trying to help!" Victoria yelled. A couple of nurses in passing shushed her but she only glared daggers at them back.

"I know, I know. It's hard for us but it must be ten times harder for him. It's always been the two of them, you know?" Flynn asked.

Victoria knew he was right but was so upset by what had just happened. She looked up at her twin with tears in her eyes, "What's gonna happen?"

"I don't know," Flynn replied, sadly.

"What's going to happen if-," Victoria started.

"Let's not think about that," Flynn interrupted, pulling his sister into a hug and just letting her cry.

"Hey, we're going to head home. We figured it's about time that we all get some sleep," Jude interrupted. Flynn and Victoria pulled away and Victoria wiped her tears away.

"Okay," she said.

It was yet another hopeless day of waiting for their mother to wake up. She wasn't quite sure how many more she'd be able to take.

_"Wish that I could cry. Fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie about a home I'll never see…"_

* * *

><p><em>"It may sound absurd, but don't be naïve. Even heroes have the right have the right to bleed…"<em>

"What're you thinkin' about?" Greer asked, looking over at Cole who was deep in thought as he drove to John's house.

"Nothing," Cole replied, smiling weakly.

"You okay?" she asked, kindly.

Cole sighed, "I guess. I mean, no. But they all think she's going to pull through."

Greer nodded slowly, "I really can't imagine… Well, at least it's all over. The First stuff and everything."

Cole nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I'm glad it is too. It's just… none of us imagined that it would end like this. Not that anything's happened yet but, she's in the hospital and- and well, you never know." Greer noticed the tears in his voice and instantly felt guilty.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up," Greer said.

Cole shook his head, "It's fine. Let's talk about something else, though, okay?"

"Sure," Greer answered.

"Are you excited to go live with your mom?" Cole asked.

This was the last thing that Greer expected him to say. But she knew Cole and knew that he was kind. He wasn't thinking about himself when he asked that question.

"What? You can't wait to get me out of here?" Greer teased.

"No, but I can't wait until you get to be with your family. I hope it's all you imagined it to be," Cole answered.

"I can't be making it all up, right? I mean, I spent a good few months with them and things were great. I just, I want to know what it's like. You have this amazing family and, well, you've made be pretty damn curious, Winchester," Greer replied.

Cole nodded, "You know, who'd have ever thought that we'd end up here? I remember that first time meeting you and disliking you, probably because you knew more about my family than I did. Honestly, babe. You scared the hell out of me that day. I had no idea what you were talking about."

Greer chuckled, "I'm sorry! I didn't know how to actually talk to be as a real person so I just kind of went about it in my hunter ways."

"And that act fell apart pretty quickly," Cole teased, playfully.

"Oh, like your good boy act?" Greer shot back.

"What?!" Cole explained.

"Well, we've done a lot of sneaking out together, Winchester. You've spent nights at my apartment on school nights… naked," she smirked.

Cole tried hard not to grin widely at the thought but couldn't resist, "You're such a tease."

"Mhm. And you're just going to have to wait a little longer since we're here," Greer said. Cole chuckled, rolling his eyes playfully. The two got out of the car and were greeted at the door to the Winchester residence by Victoria who let them in and dragged a bag of trash out to the street. She threw it in the trash can and then began to make her way up the driveway, back to her house, until someone caught her eye. Tyler. Oh no…

She kept her head down and started to walk back to her house even faster now, until she heard his voice.

"Victoria!" he called out to her, causing her to stop in her tracks and swear under her breath. She could hear his quick footsteps behind her as she turned around to look at him.

"Hi," she said, uncomfortably.

"Hey," he said back.

The two stood in uncomfortable silence before Tyler spoke up, breaking it. "I heard about your mom. I uh, I'm sorry. I hope… everything is okay."

"Yeah, thanks," she said.

"Well, I uh, I just wanted to see if everything was okay. You know, just… if your family needs anything I'm sure my parents would be happy to help. We'd be… we'd be happy to help," he stammered.

"Thank you," Victoria replied, mentally slapping herself in the face for being so distant with him. This was hard for her, so she could imagine it being ten times harder for him. But he cared enough and she was being an ice queen.

"Well, I'll leave you alone," Tyler started.

"Okay," she said back.

Tyler started to walk away, giving her enough courage to say something, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Tyler asked, turning around.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't and still can't give you an explanation, Tyler. It's just… a bad time for me right now," Victoria nodded.

Tyler nodded slowly, "I think I've just accepted that things will always be complicated with you."

"I know," she nodded. "And I'm sorry for that too."

"It's okay," he replied, giving her a little hope that things might be okay between the two.

"Bye, Tyler," Victoria said.

"Bye," he said back.

_"I may be disturbed, but won't you concede. Even heroes have the right to dream. It's not easy to be me…"_

* * *

><p><em>"Up, up and away, away from me. It's alright. You can all sleep sound tonight. I'm not crazy or anything…"<em>

John and Renee walked hand in hand down the hospital hallway as he spotted his father and a policeman speaking to each other. They had just come from visiting Renee's dad, Ethan, who hadn't been allowed to help with Meredith at all, since they were close. He had been worried and John was giving him an update. Ethan would be stopping by when his surgery got out.

"I think your dad might actually like me," John started.

"What?! My dad's always liked you," Renee chuckled.

"Yeah, but I think he might actually trust me now," John said.

"Mm, good. He better, because if things go my way, there's no way I'm letting you go anytime soon," Renee said, wrapping her arms around John's neck. He pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You're not sick of me yet?" he asked.

"Yeah, but you're too good a catch to let go," she teased.

He chuckled, kissing her once. The two pulled away to see Dean heading into the hospital chapel. John watched his father with a pained expression on his face, which Renee took notice of.

"Go," Renee said.

"What?" John asked.

"Go talk to your dad. It looks like it'll kill you if you don't," Renee replied.

John smiled at his girlfriend, kissing her again, "Thank you."

"I'll be here," she called after him as he followed his dad in the church chapel.

"Would you like a specific prayer?" the priest asked. There usually wasn't a priest in the chapel, but apparently some stopped by a few hours every day so that those looking for guidance could have someone.

"No, thanks," Dean said, sitting down. "Look, I just want to be alone, okay?!"

"Of course," the man said, going to the front of the church. John hesitantly went over to the his father on the church pew to find his dad staring at something that made his eyes widen.

"Dad, that's not-," John started, his heart racing.

"Your mother's wedding ring. The police officer gave it to me. Said he found it in the crash…" Dean trailed off. John watched as his father turned the ring over and over again in his hands. "You know, that was my last year on earth before I went to hell. Your mom thought I was crazy for asking. Thought maybe I didn't want to spend a year tied down, and honestly, if it were anyone but her, I wouldn't have."

"You loved her a lot…" John trailed off.

"Love. I love her a lot," Dean corrected.

"Right," John coughed, uncomfortably.

"I don't know why she said yes, but she did," Dean said, remembering the night of their engagement fondly. He looked at the ring once more before closing his hand around it. "I better hold on to this."

"What? Why? Dad, you don't think she's going to -," John started.

"I'm proposing to her again, son. When she wakes up. She's gonna wake up," Dean interjected, determined.

John nodded, "Yeah. Yeah she will." He wasn't quite sure why he said it, but it seemed to be what his dad needed to hear at the moment.

Dean shoved the ring in his pocket before getting up, his legs stiff. He stretched them out before leaving the small hospital chapel, leaving John alone.

"You know, I don't really do this praying thing, but I'll give it a shot," he said aloud to himself, grabbing the priest's attention.

John shut his yes, asking for his mother to wake up and to be fine and live a long healthy life. He asked God to watch over his family and to always keep them safe.

He then thought about the beautiful woman waiting for him outside of the chapel. When his dad was talking about their wedding, he couldn't help but think about the talk with Renee about settling down eventually. Like his mom and Dad, he and Renee had been in it together since the beginning, unsurprisingly beginning a relationship when they got to high school. But the truth was, there had always been feelings for each other, even when they never acknowledged them.

He loved Renee. He was the first girl that he had ever said that to, romantically. It shocked, scared, and excited him all at once. He wondered whether that was all he needed. She was all he needed.

"Anything I can do for you?" the priest asked, interrupting John.

"Uh, yeah. Do you by any chance do weddings?" John asked.

The priest nodded once and smiled, "It's an odd request that I've never gotten here before, but yes. I do."

_"__I'm only a man in a silly red sheet, digging for kryptonite on this one way street…"_

* * *

><p><em>"Only a man in a funny red street, looking for special things inside of me…"<em>

Meredith opened her eyes and shut them quickly as soon as the bright light hit her.

"You're awake. Good," she heard a voice say, causing her to open her eyes again. She rubbed them and blinked several times, adjusting them to the room. She was in a bright, white room with nothing in it but a desk and a chair. A figure sat in the chair but was turned so that she couldn't see who it was.

"Hello?" Meredith asked.

The chair swiveled around and Meredith's jaw dropped as she saw her mother. Her heart sank. She knew it was true. "So… I guess this means I'm dead."

Her mom chuckled, "No, no, you're not dead. I just wanted to have a little talk, that's all. While you were still… in between."

"Gotcha," Meredith said back.

"I'm proud of you," her mother smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she answered. "I'd been dropping in your dreams, giving you tips, but you pulled it off. The First is gone and the world's greatest threat is gone as of now. That is, until the next one arises, but… I'm proud of you. And your boys. They're good boys, sweetheart."

"Thank you," Meredith said.

"Speaking of boys, you sure know how to pick 'em," her mother smiled.

"Dean?" Meredith asked, smiling back.

"Yes. When I heard all the talk about him up here, I have to admit, I was concerned. But he exceeded my expectations," her mother replied.

"He's incredible, Mom. He's everything to me…. Well, him and the family. But we've built a life together and… and I can't imagine how he is right now," Meredith said, her eyes widening. She knew Dean was freaking out.

"I watched as he broke your heart and put it right back together again. Not many can do that," her mom said.

"That's why I've got to go back to him," Meredith said back.

She nodded, smiling again, warmly, "I know. So go. Go home, sweetie. It's not your time yet."

"_It's not easy to be me…"  
><em>


	49. Everything'll Be Alright

**Author's Note:**I'm so sorry. I am a horrible trickster. Just wait and see...

P.S. Listen to Everything'll Be Alright by Joshua Radin for this chapter.

Also, I lied. There will be TWO chapters left after this. I thought there'd only be one more but it turns out I had to split this one into two.

Thank you so much to Anacampana, Record 7, MissECharlotte, Deangirl93, and TiffaniKai for reviewing the previous chapter. Reviews make my update faster! That and I really do want to finish this story so I can get an update out for "The One That Got Away" AND work on the sequel. Words can't express how excited I am for the sequel.

* * *

><p>"It should've been me," Dean finally blurted out.<p>

"It should've been me. I mean, you're- you're the glue that holds us together, baby. You take care of the family. I swear. If anything threatens us, you're like those wild bears on the Animal Planet. Not that you're anything like a wild bear it's just- protective instinct, you know? But it should've been me. Baby, you've got to wake up because- because I'm only good at this because of you. Hell, if it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't have all of this. I'd be Sam's kid's crazy uncle."

He chuckled at himself, sniffling. "So that's why you've got to wake up. You've got to wake up because our kids cannot live on pasta and dino nuggets for the rest of their lives. Because they need their mother. And because I need you, Mer. I can do this without you. So just… just let me know you're here, okay, baby? God, I love you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Dean looked away, giving her hand a tight squeeze.

"You're wrong," he heard someone mumble. He looked up at Meredith, tears in his eyes and hopeful. He just stared at her, hoping he wasn't hallucinating. "You're a better cook than you think you are." By now, she was beginning to squint, her eyes flickering open and closed as her eyes adjusted to the florescent hospital lights.

"Dean?" Meredith asked, softly. He hadn't been saying anything. He just marveled at her. And wow, did her whole body hurt like hell.

"Baby?" Dean asked, his eyes wide as he heard his wife's voice, finally speaking up. Meredith coughed. "Oh my God. Oh my God!" He jumped up, pulling her into him and kissing her forehead. He placed eager, joyous kisses on her forehead, then to her temples, cheekbones, and finally her lips.

"Water. I need water," Meredith mumbled, noticing how dry her mouth was as she pulled away from Dean. She craned her neck to look at the blood and IV bags hooked up to her. "Oh, and help me up?"

"Of course," he said. Instead of leaving the room, he leaned over to her, ecstatic that she was awake.

Dean adjusted the bed with the automatic remote and helped her sit up a little, despite her soreness.

"Thanks," she said, weakly.

"Hey, and when we get you out of here, you are not leaving our bed," Dean smirked, lowering his voice, whispering sexily in Meredith's ear.

"You are so kinky," Meredith giggled.

"You love it," Dean shrugged. Meredith smiled, so happy to be with her husband. And she did love it. More than anything in the world. Instead of letting Dean's hand go, she held onto it, not permitting him to leave. "Page the nurse. I don't want you to leave me, yet."

Dean nodded, grinning from ear to ear, "I won't."

She smiled at him and the two just sat there, enjoying each other's company.

"I was so scared, babe. You don't-, you don't even know what thoughts went through my mind and-. God, I'm just happy that you're okay," he gasped out in relief.

"Me too. And yeah, that's what I told my mom: that you were a worrier," Meredith said. Dean shot her a quizzical look and she chuckled. "I saw her. When I was out, I guess. She was the one that sent me back to you."

"Well, God love her for that," Dean praised, causing Meredith to laugh.

"It's good to be home, baby," she said.

Dean nodded in agreement, "Damn good."

"Mrs. Winchester, you're awake!" the nurse cried, seeing Meredith sitting up straight and everything.

"Yeah," she said.

"Here's your water. I honestly thought it was for her. Well, your doctor will be pleased to hear about this. Should I call your children as well?" she asked.

"No, we'll do it," Dean answered. The nurse nodded before leaving them alone.

"Oh my God! What about the kids? And the First? Did we get him?!" Meredith asked, alert.

"Yeah, Jude and John ganked that son of a bitch," Dean said.

"Dean, language," she warned, teasingly. "This is a family facility."

"No one's listening," he shrugged. He handed her the water cup with the straw in it, and she drank greedily from it. Dean, so relieved, just watched her. He rubbed his thumb over her ring finger with the missing ring on it, causing Meredith to look down and frown. "What?"

"My ring… guess I lost in in the crash," Meredith said.

"Yeah, you did. But the uh, police officer found it. He brought it back to me," Dean said back.

"Well, can I have it?" she asked.

"No," Dean replied, grinning widely. Nothing made him happier at this moment than what he was about to do.

Meredith shot him a skeptical look, "What? You want to put it on me?" Dean shrugged, not letting her know what he was up to just yet.

"Sort of. You see," Dean started. He stood up, dropping her hand as a confused look spread across Meredith's face. Meredith sat up, just staring at her husband out of confusion. "If I gave them back to you now, I couldn't do this." Dean put the wedding band into his pocket before getting down on one knee.

Meredith gasped, "Uh, Dean. You can't do this. We've- we've already done this!"

"Who says we can't?" Dean asked, carelessly. "Did someone make rules about how many times we can get married?"

"Uh… to the same person? I think so," Meredith replied.

"Come on, baby. Just play along for me, please?" he asked, playfully.

"Dean, what're you-," Meredith started, in shock and awe.

"Almost losing you twice scared the hell out of me, Mer. I don't even know what I'd do if things went that way. I was just, I was sitting here with you and you were still out and I just, I kept thinking about how much I loved you, what we've gone through. So marry me, Mer. Marry me again in front of all our friends and family just because. Because we can and because I can't stand the thought of losing you again," Dean asked.

Meredith's heart was soaring and she couldn't help but tear up, "I-, yes. Of course, yes."

Dean smiled before kissing her, "Oh good. I would've looked like an idiot if you had said no."

"Uh, we're already married, Dean. Nothing really would've changed," Meredith remind with a giggle.

"Yeah, but I went all out on the big, romantic gesture, babe, and you know I don't do that. I think the chaos of the past few days has turned me into Sammy," Dean groaned.

"Yeah," Meredith smiled. "But I still love you, baby."

"I love you," Dean said back, kissing her long and passionately.

* * *

><p>Jude came back from his walk. He just needed to clear his head and get out of the house as he saw his three siblings scrambling into the Comet. What the hell was going on?<p>

"Hurry up, Jude!" Flynn called out to him.

"What's going on?" Jude asked.

"Mom's awake. We're going to the hospital. Come on!" John informed, backing the car out of the driveway so that the passenger seat door was right at Jude. Jude practically ripped the door from its hinges and jumped into the car as they drove off to the hospital.

As they drove, Jude sighed, frustratedly. He crossed his arms over his chest, shooting John a look as John drove right at the speed limit.

"What?" John asked.

"You drive like somebody's grandmother," Jude grumbled, impatiently.

"Uh… somebody's hot grandmother!" John protested, causing Flynn and Victoria to both laugh.

"He is right. You're stopping at all the yellow lights," Victoria said, frustratedly. "Would you just let him drive, John?"

"I'm being a good driver!" John protested. "Is anyone paying attention to the fact that Mom's in the hospital partially because of a car accident?!"

"Pull over. I'm driving," Jude demanded.

"No, you're a maniac!" John argued.

"Yeah, I'm going to get us there a lot faster than we're going at this rate," Jude pointed out. "Do you want to see Mom or not?" John sighed, before pulling over and exchanging places with his brother. Jude got into the driver's seat, buckling his seat belt, putting the car into drive, and flooring. He was grateful that there were few people on the road today.

* * *

><p>Once all of the Winchesters had convened in the little hospital room, and they all had a chance to say hi to their mother, Meredith and Dean made their big announcement.<p>

"Well, we wanted to wait to tell you guys before you all go there, but since you came together, your dad and I are getting married again," Meredith announced.

"Renewing our vows," Dean clarified.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Victoria exclaimed.

"Aw, Dad, you softy, you," Jude teased.

"So much for no chick flick moments, "John teased.

"Sweet! I'll be the photographer!" Flynn volunteered, eagerly.

"So when do you want to do it?" John asked. Meredith and Dean exchanged glances. They never expected their kids to be so eager about this.

"Uh… well, we were thinking the summer since we won't have much to do. We want it to be something small and low key," Dean said.

"Just the whole Winchester/Walsh bunch," Meredith replied.

"Gotcha," Victoria said.

"Alright, siblings, can I have a word?" John asked, almost as if it were an order.

"Uh, sure?" Flynn replied, as they all shuffled out of the hospital room, leaving Dean and Meredith alone.

"Dude, what's going on?" Jude asked, shooting his brother a funny look.

"We're going to throw Mom and Dad a wedding," John answered.

"What?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah. Tomorrow. Look, Dad was talking to me earlier when I found him in the chapel. He had mom's ring and he was talking about how he wanted to remarry her in front of all our friends and family. After almost losing her, well, you never know what can happen. So let's throw them a wedding in the little chapel here in the hospital. I already talked to the priest there and he's game so there's nothing stopping us," John explained.

His three siblings al just stared at him. "What?"

"No, nothing," Jude replied, amused.

"Sounds good," Flynn said.

"Yeah, I just thought I was the only one with a vagina in this family," Victoria teased, causing John to glare at her.

"Alright, wedding boy, what does this entail?" Jude asked, jokingly.

"Would you two stop?!" he exclaimed.

"Fine. Truce," Jude said.

"Truce," Victoria added. Flynn just laughed at his siblings' teasing.

"Alright, Victoria, you're a girl so go home and get makeup and crap. Oh, and a dress. I don't care what it is. Doesn't have to be white because obviously, Mom's not a virgin-."

"Ew!" Flynn said. "Do we have to bring that up?"

"It's alright, dude. You get used to it," Jude said, slapping his brother on the back a couple of times.

"They're great at reminding us anyways," Victoria added.

"Guys, focus!" John exclaimed, grabbing their attention.

"Aye, aye, Captain," Flynn joked.

"Not you too," John groaned.

"Sorry," Flynn snickered.

"Alright, so Victoria get stuff for Mom. Jude, can you get stuff ready? Like decorations or flowers or whatever. And see if we can have some kind of reception, even if it's in the cafeteria! Flynn, do camera stuff. Whatever that entails. I'll call everyone," John ordered.

"Sounds good," Victoria said.

"Yeah. Now let's go back in there before they suspect anything," Flynn suggested.

"Sounds good. How are we going to get away though? She just woke up," Jude asked.

"Good question," John replied. The four Winchesters went back into the hospital room, faced with suspicious looks on their parents' faces.

"What're you four up to?" Meredith asked.

"Nothing," John shrugged.

"That didn't look like a nothing huddle," Dean pointed out.

"Yeah, well, we were just talking and thought maybe you guys would like some alone time," Victoria started.

"Uh huh. And… Mom, don't you want some of your stuff?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, we're going to run home and get some stuff for you. I'm sure that this place must be so depressing. We'll go get some of your stuff to make it feel more like home," John added.

"What do you four have up your sleeves?" Meredith asked, calling them out on it.

The four stood, frozen, not knowing what to say.

"You caught us!" Flynn exclaimed, causing the three of them to look over at him. "We were going to surprise you when you went to sleep or down to the cafeteria or something. We wanted to bring some stuff here and then surprise you by decorating the room. You know, a 'welcome back' kind of think with banners and photos and stuff."

"Yeah. But you guys know us too well," Victoria shrugged. John and Jude shot him a look that said 'nice save'.

"Oh, it's okay. You don't have to," Meredith started.

"No, we want to. Please," Jude said.

"Yeah, it sure as hell would make me not want to slit my wrists in this place. Seriously. It's extremely depressing. And everything's white. White walls, white lights. I feel like I'm in an insane asylum. All I need is a strait jacket," John said, his attitude hopefully throwing them off their trail.

"Well, alright. If you guys don't mind. I really wouldn't mind some pictures of you all here while they're keeping me," Meredith said.

"We don't," Victoria said back.

"How is everybody today? You must be overjoyed. Meredith, you're quite a trooper, pulling through all that like this," the doctor said, coming into the room.

"She really is," Dean smiled, exchanging glances with his wife.

"I'm just going to check everything. Make sure you're perfectly fine," the doctor said. He checked and noted her vitals, heartbeat, and everything else he needed to before scribbling some more notes on his chart. "Well, we'd like to keep you here overnight, but if everything goes well tonight, we should be able to release you tomorrow morning."

"Really?" she asked, hopefully.

"Yep. But that means bed rest. You've got to take it easy. No strenuous activities for at least a couple of weeks," the doctor replied, a chipper tone in his voice.

Jude smiled. This is what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a doctor for this moment – the moment where you got to tell the family that everything was going to be alright. And for one moment - something he hadn't felt in a long time - he knew that everything, was going to be alright.


	50. A Thousand Years

Authors Note: Ok, I know the song's associated with Twilight, but i don't care. I think it's beautiful and fits well for Mer/Dean. So please, well prompted, listen to "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! Gah! I'm excited for the sequel though. Thank you so much to Deangirl93 and Record 7 for reviewing the previous chapter.

* * *

><p>The four Winchesters roamed through the hospital hallways on their way to their mother's hospital room.<p>

"What do you mean you didn't okay it with the hospital staff? Now we won't be able to use it after the wedding!" John exclaimed, stopping all of them as Jude broke the news to him.

"Sorry, I forgot," Jude shrugged. "Look, I'll go do it now. It'll be fine."

"This last minute?" John challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Chill out, Princess. I've got it," Jude shot back.

"Dick," John grumbled.

Wuss," Jude snapped.

"Man child!" John exclaimed in an accusatory tone.

"Guys!" Victoria yelled, interrupting the two. "Cut it out. We're not getting anywhere with you two calling each other names."

"She's right. Look, why don't Jude and I go down to the cafeteria and sort everything out. John, go get Dad and tell him what's going on and Victoria, you can get Mom ready," Flynn said, attempting to find some order in the chaos.

John sighed, "Fine."

"Yeah," Jude agreed.

"Good. Now come on," Flynn said, nodding for Jude to follow him towards the cafeteria, leaving John and Victoria alone.

"We better go fill them in. Everyone will be arriving soon and it takes us girls quite a while to get wedding-ready," Victoria said to John, holding a makeup bag and a white sundress in her arms to give to her mom once they finally surprise their parents with the news that they were throwing them a wedding.

"Yeah, whatever. I was right though. You're always supposed to call ahead!" John protested.

"Yeah, okay, Princess," Victoria teased, nudging her brother playfully.

"Hey!" John protested.

"Come on. You know I'm just teasing you," Victoria chuckled.

In the cafeteria, Jude and Flynn stood right at the entrance, carefully examining the hospital staff to see which one they should approach about it.

"So how do we go about this? Do we even have a plan?" Flynn asked his older brother.

Jude narrowed his eyes, singling someone out. Bingo. "Yep. Just watch, little brother," Jude said, strolling over towards the woman in the pink scrubs, dark, wavy hair, and perfect smile. He stealthily pretended that he wasn't looking as he 'casually' bumped into her. "Oh God. I'm so sorry!"

"It's alright. You're-… Winchester, right? I've seen you around here. Your mom's been in the hospital, right?" she asked.

"So you've been paying attention to me," Jude smirked, causing the woman to blush.

"We all talk and the cute guy that keeps showing up definitely makes the daily gossip," she answered, flirtatiously.

"So listen, we're uh, we're throwing a wedding for my parents. The accident made my dad want to repropose so we're just helping him out," Jude started.

"Cute and sensitive," she giggled.

"I guess," he shrugged. He cringed inside. This was him four-five years ago but not now. It just felt weird becoming this person again. He had given up those ways a long time ago. "We wanted some place to have a little reception afterwards. It'll be kind of late, but I know people'll be working late. You think it'd be okay if we used the cafeteria?"

She thought it over, "I could talk to someone about it, but honestly, between you and I, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Thanks, I really owe you one," Jude winked.

"Well, you could buy me a drink," she said.

"Yeah," Jude said, convincingly, although on the inside, he knew he wasn't over Anna.

"Margaret," she introduced herself.

"Jude," Jude said, taking her hand and shaking it.

"I'm working all night. Maybe I'll stop by," she said.

"Maybe," he said back.

Flynn laughed, watching his brother flirt his way through a solution. Finally, Jude returned with a little slip in his hand and Flynn snorted with laughter, "You got her number? You better have gotten more than that – and by that, I mean the cafeteria privileges."

"Yeah, I did, dude," Jude chuckled.

"So.. you actually into her?"

Jude shrugged, "I don't know. Just using the old Winchester charm. It's for Mom and Dad, okay?" He already felt guilty and reminded himself he had no reason to, considering he and Anna were broken up, so why did he still feel that way?

"Sure," Flynn replied, unconvinced.

* * *

><p>"Well, the doctor said that they were keeping me one more night. I don't know why…" Meredith trailed off.<p>

"Yeah, too bad," John replied, unconvincingly, causing Victoria to glare at him. Victoria smiled on the inside. The doctor had lied to her for them so that they could keep her there just in time to throw their parents the wedding. There was an awkward silence before John spoke again. "Hey, Dad? Can I ask you about something? Out in the hall?"

"Uh.. sure," Dean said, hesitantly leaving Meredith's side.

"Don't worry. She'll be here when you get back," John reassured, leaving Victoria and Meredith alone in the hospital room.

"So…" Victoria started.

"You want to tell me what's going on? You want to explain the dress and shoes?" Meredith asked.

Damn it.

"Uh… well, there may be a reason the doctor's keeping you," Victoria began. Meredith raised an eyebrow and Victoria could feel the pressure building. Gah. She wasn't good at this and her mother was way too good at playing the intimidating mother card.

"We may be throwing you and Dad a wedding," she blurted out.

"You're what?!" Meredith exclaimed, her eyes practically bulging out of her head as she stared at her daughter in disbelief.

"Surprise?" Victoria said, almost as a suggestion.

"Wh-, but I don't even have time to get ready. I don't even have anything to wear and-," Meredith began to ramble.

"That's why I brought this," Victoria interjected, holding up the dress and hanging it on the bathroom door. "And this." She held up her makeup bag so that her mother could see as well. "And these." Lastly, she held up the elegant white flats that her mother had a long time ago. "I figured you probably wouldn't want to walk in heels considering you've just begun to get out of bed."

"I'm a still a little sore. I-, I don't know what to say," Meredith said, in awe.

"Just say, 'I do'. No runaway brides, okay?" Victoria joked, causing Meredith to laugh.

"You're funny like your dad," Meredith mused, looking at her beautiful daughter. Since when had she gotten all grown up?

Victoria snorted, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"It is one," Meredith replied. She took a deep breath. "Ah, now I'm nervous! I don't know why."

"Frankly, I don't either. You and Dad love each other," Victoria shrugged.

"Yeah, but… I wouldn't know what to say or-, I don't know. To walk down the aisle with Dean again… it's sweet but I sure as hell wasn't expecting this. But I love it. It's a great surprise. And you know how much I hate surprises," Meredith confessed.

"Oh yeah. Don't worry. We'll never repeat your forty-fifth birthday party ever again," Victoria chuckled.

"Oh God," Meredith groaned.

Dean and the kids had thrown a surprise birthday for Meredith, nearly giving her a heart attack. She loved that they had wanted to do something nice, but those were the days that Meredith had begun to long for the days of the simple family dinner birthdays and the Falcon.

"Well, why don't we start with your makeup and so you don't get nervous, just… tell me about Dad," Victoria started.

"Like what?" Meredith asked.

"I don't know…" Victoria trailed off. "Nothing gross because we already get enough of that from you guys now."

"Hey!" Meredith protested.

"I'm kidding, Mom," Victoria said. "Uh… tell me about when you knew Dad was the one."

Meredith smiled. She knew the exact moment, "I think I always knew. But the actual moment I realized? It's a long story, sweetie."

Victoria looked around, "We've got time, Mom, remember? Hospital room? Car accident? Big bad demon that-."

"Okay, okay! Listen to you. Just like your father…" Meredith groaned, playfully.

"Alright, I'll cut it out as long as you tell me the story. I mean, we've heard all about when you and Dad first met, the proposal, the wedding… all that big stuff. But when did you know?" Victoria asked, earnestly.

"Well, your dad and I had gotten into a really big fight the night before," Meredith recalled fondly. "Instead of staying with him, I left in the morning. It was right after the told me about the deal he made with the crossroads demon, which, by the way, you are never allowed to do, and I just-, I was scared. But we talked…."  
><em><br>~Flashback~_

_"Can we talk?" I asked._

_"Sure," Dean replied._

_"Look, I'm sorry for this morning… leaving you. I just… I needed to clear my head," I started._

_"Do you not want to do this… us, anymore?" Dean asked._

_"No, that's not what I'm saying, Dean! I love you so much and I don't want you to go through this alone. I want to be here for you through it all, I-, I'm in this, Dean. I just, I've had to process a lot. You just, last night, you told me that you were dying, we screamed at each other and then had angry sex. That's a lot for me to take in," I explained, sighing._

_"Very good, angry sex," Dean corrected, a small smirk on his face._

_I chuckled, "Yes, very good, angry sex. I'm not running away from you, whether you like it or not. You're stuck with me." I nudged him playfully and he smiled. "See, there's that smile. I've missed it."_

_"I just don't want to drag you back into this or hurt you in any way. It seems like we're both all over the place right now and sometimes… you just happen to be in my line of fire and I can't help it," Dean said._

_"No, I know. But I'm crazy about you, Dean. I know it's a little masochistic but I don't care. I want to be here for you and hell, you may not even want me to be here for you. I know you want your time and your space, but I just want you to know that I'm not scared. I'm not afraid of this and I'm not going to run away from this," I said back._

_"You're the strongest girl I know," Dean nodded._

_"I highly doubt that. It's just the crazy things you do for love," I joked._

_Dean leaned in and kissed me quickly, "I love you too. I'm sorry if I don't say it enough to you."_

_I shook my head, "You're perfect."_

_"I highly doubt that," Dean replied._

_"You are," I said, leaning in and kissing him. He may not believe it, but to me he was. __For__ me, he was. Sure, he had his flaws. We could all see that, but to me, that didn't matter. They only made me love him more and if he only had a year to live, well then hell, I was going to give him all the love I had._

_~End Flashback~_

"And I just told him that I wasn't afraid and that, essentially, he was stuck with me. Dean's death was horrifying and something I never wanted for either of us to go through, but it made me realize that he was the one. I didn't care that he was dying, I just wanted to be married to him, even if it were for only a few months," Meredith concluded.

"Mom, that's so sweet. I always forget that you and Dad had that whole dark, twisty romance thing going on," Victoria replied.

Meredith nodded, "Yeah, we've come a long way from where we used to be.

Down the hall, near the church chapel, John led his father towards it.

"So the thing is, I know that people say not to bring your girlfriend to college, but Renee and I will try it out for a year and if it still works, it still works," John said.

Dean scratched the back of his head, "You sound like you have this all figured out."

"Yeah," John nodded.

"So why did you need my advice?" Dean asked, confused.

"See, the truth is, Dad. I didn't need your advice at all," John said.

"Wh-," Dean began to ask but was cut off as the chapel doors were pushed open, revealing the rest of the Winchester-Walsh clan, congregated in the little room, bright smiles plastered all over their faces.

"You said all our friends and family, right?" John asked.

* * *

><p><strong>"A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri (please listen to it!)<strong>

_"Heart beats fast. Colors and promises. How to be brave? How can I love when I'm afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow. One step closer…"_

"Dad, look," Jude whispered to him, before John, Flynn, and Jude went to sit down in the front row of church pews. Dean looked to the chapel door and watched as Meredith entered the room, beautiful as ever, in that white sundress with only a few flowers in her hand, Victoria at her side. Dean sighed, taking her in as she smiled at him from the aisle.

He smiled back and chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully, as if to say, "I really can't believe this is happening" and "I'm so embarrassed to be the center of attention." He nodded but knew in his heart, that he wouldn't have this wedding any other way.

Meredith carefully took her steps toward the altar. She could barely believe that her kids had pulled all of this together in less than twenty four hours. All of the people she loved and were important to her were here, happier than ever. She smiled back at Molly and Sawyer who sat next to each other, overjoyed.

"You look beautiful. Go get 'em, Mom," Victoria said, before sitting next to her brothers on the front church pew as Meredith joined Dean at the altar.

"We have gathered here today to celebrate and renew the vows of Meredith Isobel Winchester and Dean Winchester," the priest started.

Meredith and Dean exchanged glances, pure love in their eyes.

"_I have died everyday waiting for you. Darling don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more…"_

The priest went through the routine wedding speeches before leaving it up to the bride and groom, "And now, if the bride and groom would like to say a few words of their own, they may."

Meredith and Dean exchanged glances, trying to decide who would go first until Dean spoke up.

"I'll go first," Dean volunteered. She nodded, smiling and biting her lip as she waited to hear his words. "Meredith, twenty two years ago, I promised you that that day, our wedding day, was the day that I grew up. Well, that's what I've been doing. You've given me the world, Mer. You've given me a beautiful family, a place to come home to after being out of the road, and an incredibly sexy wife." There were laughs from their friends and groans from their kids before Dean continued. "I promised you that I'd grow and I want to promise you again that I'll keep growing. We'll continue to build our life together and… and well, since we've already been stuck together for the past… a thousand years," earning another chuckle from the guests, "I promise to love and cherish you for a thousand more."

"Dean, everyone said you'd break my heart. I mean, everyone!" Meredith started, causing everyone, including Dean to laugh or make a comment in agreement. "But you didn't. I mean, you did, but you somehow managed to waltz back into my life and put it right back together again."

"It wasn't easy," Dean said.

Meredith chuckled, "No. It was far, far from easy. You know, earlier, when we were getting ready for the wedding, your daughter asked me when I knew you were the one. I told her that I always knew, but the moment I realized was the day after you told me about the deal. Talk about "through thick and thin", huh? We have been through so much together, Dean, and I just want to tell you that, yes, we've practically been together since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, but I wouldn't have it any other way. And yeah, I can't wait till the next worldly explosion to the point where the dinosaurs will somehow magically re-evolve and come back again. But even when they do, I know it'll still be you and me. So I think you for that: for putting me back together again, for sharing this life with me, and for loving me, Dean. And I promise to do the same for you."

There were aw's from the family and they even noticed several hospital staff that had slipped into the chapel.

"By the power vested in me by God and the state of South Dakota, I now pronounce you husband and wife, again," the priest announced, noticing the wide smiles and looks of love shared between Dean and Meredith. "You may now kiss the bride."

"Finally!" Dean sighed with relief before pulling his wife in close to him and passionately kissing her. Meredith kissed him back with all of her, before pulling away. The two exchanged a smile before the wedding was officially over.

_"Time stands still, beauty in all she is. I will be brave. I will not let anything take away what's standing in front of me. Every breath, every hour has come to this. One step closer…"_

* * *

><p><em>"I have died everyday waiting for you. Darling don't be afraid I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more…"<em>

"I really don't know how you pulled it all off," Meredith marveled, as they sat in the hospital cafeteria eating store bought sheet cake that said "Congratulations, Meredith and Dan". John had incessantly apologized but both his parents had insisted that it was perfectly fine and that he had done enough already. The wedding was beautiful and they couldn't ask for more. That sure got him to calm down some. Then Renee swooped in and he was easily distracted.

"Well, Jude flirted to get his way," Flynn started.

"Hey!" Jude protested.

"You sleazebag, you," Victoria teased.

"It's okay, man. It's a gift!" Dean consoled, causing them all to laugh. Suddenly, the sound of a knife clinging against a glass bottle silenced everyone and Sam had the floor.

"Hello, everyone. I know we've done things out of order, but Flynn and I searched for the perfect dance song and uh… well, we figured we'd give it a shot," Sam announced. "Would the bride and groom come out for their first dance?"

"Sammy, you know I don't dance," Dean glared.

"Come on, man! It's wedding tradition," Sam argued.

Dean scowled and Meredith laughed, rolling her eyes, jokingly, "Come on, Dean. Or Dan, should I say?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I bet Dan's a dancer," Dean groaned.

Meredith just shook her head. The two made it out to the area that the cafeteria tables had been cleared out of as the music began to play. The song opened with the plucking of guitar strings and then the all too familiar lyrics to AC/DC's "You shook me all night long" but in a jazz arrangement. She recognized it as the cover by the Django Reindhardt inspired group, The Lost Fingers.

"Oh my God," Meredith smiled. "This is your song!"

"Yeah, it is, baby," Dean groaned.

"Dean," she giggled.

"What? I've shaken you all night long plenty of times," he whispered in her ear, sending chills down her spine. "You look beautiful."

"I love you," was all she said back.

"I love you."

Soon enough, the other couples had joined them out on the dance floor. Sam and Sawyer. Greer and Cole. John and Renee. Molly and Ethan.

"What're you thinking about?" Cole asked Greer as they danced together.

"Nothing… just how I'm going to remember this when I move to California," Greer answered.

"Oh yeah?" Cole asked.

"Oh yeah. And many more wonderful things," she winked.

Once the more upbeat songs came on, Jude, Flynn, Victoria,Haley, Jackson, and Iz joined everyone on the dance floor. It was a celebration of not only Meredith and Dean, but of victory and family.

"_And all along I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me. I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more. One step closer. One step closer…"_

* * *

><p><em>"I have died everyday waiting for you. Darling don't be afraid I have loved you. For a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more…"<em>

"Where are the kids?" Meredith asked, as she and Dean walked up the steps to their house.

"Woah there! Someone had a little too much to drink," Dean said, stabilizing Meredith as she wobbled a little. She laughed, using him as support. "I guess I'll just have to carry you now." He swooped her up causing her to squeal, laughing.

"Dean!" she exclaimed.

"Come on! We just got married. You already forced me to dance. I've got to follow through with all the traditions, don't I?"

"You drank just about as much as I did," Meredith shot back, ignoring his question. "Why aren't you drunk?"

"I must be better at it," Dean shrugged, causing her to laugh and poke him in the rib cage.

"Not true," she said. Dean went to unlock the door as they noticed a red envelope on the door. Meredith tore it off, opening it and reading the card. She read it aloud. "We have one last surprise for you. We're all staying at Uncle Sam's house tonight. We figured you'd want the full wedding experience and none of us want to be there when it happens. We already hear it enough as it is. Love, your children, Jude, John, Flynn, and Victoria."

"What?" Dean asked.

"Let's find out," Meredith replied.

Dean unlocked the door, pushing it open, as the two were face to face with the dark house. But instead of its usual darkness, the hallway was lined with white candles and rose petals. Meredith and Dean both stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"Hm… I wonder where it all leads to," Meredith started, playfully.

"You want to find out?" Dean smirked. She nodded, taking his hand as the two walked down the hall, seeing the candles and roses lead straight to their bedroom. The door was closed and there was a sign on it that read: Honeymoon Suite.

"Look, the doctor said no strenuous activity after the surgery and stuff so we don't have to do anything," Dean started, reluctantly.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Meredith smirked.

"Mer, the doctor said-," Dean protested.

"We'll be careful," she shrugged, playfully, pulling the door open behind them and pulling him in after her by his tie.

_ "And all along I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me. I have loved you for a thousand years. I'll love you for a thousand more…"_


	51. Waiting For My Chance to Come

**Author's Note:** WOW, it feels like just yesterday I started writing this story. Let me just say that I have loved every second of writing this story and have really fallen in love with the characters as well. I hope you all stick with me, because I have tons planned for them for the sequel. I can't wait to show you what's next. Let's just say, the sequel starts where it all began: Victoria and Haley with the diaries. Lyrics in this chapter are from **"Waiting For My Chance to Come" by Noah and the Whale**. PLEASE listen to it while you read this chapter.

* * *

><p>"<em>Well I'm just waiting for my chance to come; just a silhouette against the rising sun. Watch the water, watch the sky. Count the days as they go by. I'm just waiting for my chance to come…"<em>

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," Meredith heard a voice call out to her. She turned around, to see her husband standing in the hallway and holding his hand out to her. "Come one. We're going to be late."

"Coming," she answered, a wide grin spreading across her lips.

"Where were you anyways?" Dean asked, as he and Meredith hurried down the hall towards an exit and on the way to the football field.

"I stopped by my classroom. I wanted to look around a bit," Meredith answered.

"Nerd," Dean teased.

"Shut up," Meredith said, playfully nudging him.

"How'd you sleep last night?" he asked, draping an arm around her as the two made their way to the football field, tangled up in each other.

"Great, for once," Meredith answered, a true smile on her face. Dean loved seeing her like this again. Before, when they were still hunting down the first, he could tell that her smile had been different. It wasn't the smile he was used to, but this one, this was it. He smiled back. He took her hand and led her to their seats on the grass across from the makeshift stage set up outside.

Meredith nodded. She hadn't been plagued with any more warning or cryptic mommy message dreams anymore. She was finally able to sleep peacefully.

"We were starting to wonder where you two guys were. It's almost starting!" Jude said, as his parents took their seats.

"Well, we're back in time. Hey, this was you four years ago," Meredith reminded.

Jude grinned, "I know. It's weird being back here."

"And it'll be you two in three years. That's even weirder," Dean chimed in, gesturing towards the twins. Flynn and Victoria exchanged glances, laughing.

"Oh come on, Dad! Let's not rush it," Flynn said.

"Yeah. We're barely sophomores," Victoria added.

"So let me get this straight. Are you two saying that you wouldn't actually mind being home for three more years?" Meredith joked.

"No," Flynn said.

"We're just saying that skipping over those three years is way too scary right now. We just kicked some major demon ass and uh… let's take it one step at a time," Victoria chuckled.

"And if we have to be stuck with a family for the next three years… this one's not too bad," Flynn joked.

"What he said," Victoria added.

Meredith, Dean, and Jude all chuckled.

"Sorry! Oh, thank God it hasn't started yet. I thought we were going to be late!" a familiar voice said, shuffling through the seats. "Mer!"

"Perpetually late, Molly. Tsk, tsk," Meredith teased as Meredith, Ethan, and Iz all sat down next to the Winchester family.

"Hey! It takes a while to get this beautiful," Molly joked, causing Meredith and Ethan to both snort with laughter.

"You could've just blamed it one Ethan. That's what she does with me," Dean suggested.

"Yeah, but with good reason. I remember, back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, you two were always late for stuff because you and Dean were too busy-," Ethan started.

"Ethan, not here!" Meredith exclaimed, laughing.

"What? You've scarred me for life. I'm bound to bring it up and torture you with it," Ethan said. Meredith rolled her eyes playfully and she got up to say hi and kiss him on the cheek.

"Can you believe your kids are graduation today?" She asked.

"Not at all," Ethan answered. "Yeah, but at least this isn't your first to graduate. This is my first as a parent."

"Aww, you're like a baby," Meredith teased, patting him on the cheek causing him to swat away her hand and them to both laugh.

"You know, if they hadn't always been like this, I'd be worried," Dean said, leaning over to Molly.

"You and I both," she agreed.

"Hey, sorry we're late. We didn't miss anything, right?" Sawyer asked, as they entered the row of chairs from the other side, of Dean and Meredith's family.

"See? We're not the latest ones," Ethan pointed out.

"Good work, genius," Meredith said, sarcastically.

"How're you guys feeling?" Sam asked, sitting down in the seat one away from Victoria. "You excited for John?"

"Yeah," Flynn said.

"And surprised he made it so far," Victoria added, jokingly.

Sam chuckled.

He and Sawyer sat next to the twins, followed by Greer and Cole, and Jackson. Haley shuffled passed all of them to take her seat next to Victoria.

"You look so cute! Is that the dress you bought at that boutique in Pennsylvania?" Haley asked.

"Yes! I love yours too. Hey, have you heard from Owen lately?" Victoria asked.

Haley shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. I don't know. It's summer and he'll be in Alaska the whole time and… I don't know. I don't know if either of us wants to really continue a relationship."

"Well, I'm here if you need to talk… make a pros and cons list… you get the gist," Victoria offered.

Haley smiled, confidently, "Yeah, I know."

Victoria smiled back before the principal began to walk onstage.

"Oh my God, it's starting!" Molly exclaimed, practically jumping out of her seat. Dean and Meredith exchanged glances, chuckling and Ethan attempted to calm her down.

The graduation began and all the parents were teary eyed as they saw their kids enter. Since both John and Renee had last names that began with 'W', it took a while to get to them.

"Renee Andrea Walsh," one of the teachers read aloud, as Renee walked up on stage, her high heels clicking as she walked.

"Yeah, Renee!" Iz cheered, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her praise.

"That's my girl!" Ethan exclaimed, while Molly just clapped incessantly, sniffling and fighting back tears.

The Winchesters as well shouted out encouraging things and clapped as loudly as possible. Renee chuckled, hearing her family as she walked off stage.

"Sarah Li Wang," the speaker read out as the crowd died down.

"He's next," Victoria hissed, nudging her brothers and showing them the program. The crowd died down once again and they heard it. This day had finally come.

"John Caleb Winchester," the speaker announced.

Out of nowhere, several noises of applause and congratulations from John's family were unleashes. Meredith clapped and smiled proudly while Dean called out something.

"Right back at ya, little brother. Getting that high school diploma!" Jude yelled.

"Wooo! Yeah, John!" Victoria and Flynn exclaimed. John shook the principal's hand, took his diploma, and instead of going off stage immediately, paused, held up his diploma proudly and walked off stage, causing all of his family to laugh.

"Henry David Zenick," the speaker announced. The student walked across the stage and the graduation was officially over. The graduates stood up, following through with the recession, and the crowd was dismissed. Tons of eager parents rushed off to see their kids. Meredith, Dean, Molly, Ethan, Sawyer, and Sam made their way through the crowd to see John and Renee.

"Congratulations, baby," John said, happily, pecking Renee lightly on the lips.

"You too. We did it! And now… Pennsylvania," she smiled. Her heart was soaring and it felt like everything was falling into place. John was demon-less for now and they were going to get to be together the next year.

"Together," he said.

She nodded but they were quickly interrupted by their parents.

"Oh, I don't want to interrupt but come here!" Molly squealed, seeing her daughter.

"Mom!" Renee grinned, seeing her mom and jumping into her arms.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," her mom said back.

"We really are. You're going to do great things… you already are," Ethan said, when it was his turn to hug his daughter.

"Ahh, congrats! You're a high school graduate now! How does it feel?" Iz asked, hugging her sister tightly.

"Great. How does it feel to be an incoming freshman?" Renee shot back.

"Not as great… what am I going to do without you next year?" she asked.

Renee chuckled, "You'll be fine. And you know I'm a phone call away."

"You did good, kid," Dean said, upon seeing John.

"Hey, guys! I heard you all up there loud and clear," John chuckled, hugging his dad.

"What can we say? We're proud," Meredith replied, as John hugged her tightly.

"Thank you, Mom," John smiled, pulling away. Before he could say anything else, he was eagerly ambushed by the rest of them.

"Come her, man. Dude, congrats. How does it feel?" Jude asked, pulling his brother into one of those 'bro' hugs.

"Pretty damn good… pretty damn good," John nodded.

Jude laughed, "Yeah, well now you're stuck with me in Pennsylvania. It'll be just like having Mom and Dad up there."

"Oh come on, man," John groaned.

"I'm kidding. And if you need any beer… just don't tell Mom and Dad. And I'm not getting you a keg either. Just… refreshments – small ones – when necessary. Keep it classy, dude," Jude advised.

"Noted," John replied.

"Congrats, John. That was awesome," Flynn said, imitating Jude and John's previous bro hug.

"Thanks, man. It's going to be you next," John said.

"Why do people keep saying that?!" Flynn exclaimed, chuckling.

"John!" Victoria exclaimed, hugging him tightly as Flynn moved out of the way.

"Woah, you inherited Mom's super strength hugs. I can't breathe," John hissed.

"Sorry," Victoria chuckled. "I'm so happy. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," John smiled. "I mean, if there were ever a demon around, I'm sure you could smother him with love."

"Shut up," she groaned, hitting him playfully.

"Hey! Don't hit the graduate!" he protested.

She laughed, "Alright, well, I'll let you greet your adoring fans. But again, congratulations. Good to know you had it in ya."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes jokingly.

"Actually, I'm next," Cole interjected, seeing John.

"Yeah, you are, actually," John said.

"Congrats, man," Cole said.

"Thanks," he said back.

"Congratulations, John. Honestly, I never thought we'd be friends, yet here we are," Greer said, giving John a small hug.

"Yeah, well you're friends with my girl and you make this one happy… oh and you're not too bad yourself," John teased.

Greer chuckled, "So you ready for college yet?"

"Honestly?" John asked. "It hasn't hit me yet."

Out of nowhere, the three heard, "John, congratulations!" as Sawyer, Sam, Haley, and Jackson approached him as well. John took a deep breath, overwhelmed by all the people, but he really couldn't complain. He had to admit, as chaotic as it got, he really loved his family.

"_Well it takes real guts to be alone. Going head to head with the great unknown. But there is no sweeter sound, on the kings round I'm bound. And just waiting for your chance to come…"_

* * *

><p><em>"'Cause it's hard to feel like, you're worth something in this life. When you're walking next to me, I can hear my body speak. We're just waiting for a chance to come. We're just waiting for a chance to come…"<em>

Cole drove as Greer played around with the radio, searching for the station that'd be best for this car ride. They were getting closer and closer and she was distracting herself from the current matter at hand.

"It sucks that you have to leave right after graduation," Cole started. Well, that certainly wasn't going to get her mind off of it.

She nodded, "I know, but I'll be back in July and… and maybe you can come visit me on a break or something."

Cole smiled, "I wish. I don't know. I'll have to talk to my parents – see if they're okay with it."

"Well, they sure didn't stop us from the many sleep overs at my apartment," Greer smirked.

"Yeah, well they didn't really know about the sleepovers," Cole pointed out, playfully.

Greer giggled, making a mental note to herself to never forget that handsome smile on Cole's face. God, he was gorgeous. Thank God for Skype. A silence fell between the two of them as they neared the airport. It was getting closer and closer. It hadn't exactly hit Greer yet but she was trying to come to terms with it.

"Thank you," she said.

"For driving you to the airport?" Cole asked, shooting her a funny look.

"No, silly," she laughed. She'd never forget how much he made her laugh either. When she first met him, she never pictured things getting this far. Her falling so hard… "As cheesy as it sounds, you changed my life, Cole Winchester. I-… If I hadn't met you I still would've been that too tough girl that hunter and had a crazy, demonic brother. And someone that didn't know what a family was. I mean, you gave that all to me. I'll never forget Christmas with the tree. I've never had a tree like that before."

"Greer, don't do this," he begged.

"What?" she asked, hurt.

"I don't want to say goodbye yet, okay?" Cole asked, and by the look on his face, Greer could tell that this was really hard for him.

She nodded, "Yeah, I know. Me either. It's just… I wanted to say that before I left. Just because… becaue I meant it. It's true, Cole."

"I know. It's just hard," he shrugged, trying not to get all emotional.

"I know," she agreed.

And before they knew it, they had pulled up to the airport.

"Are you sure you don't what me going in with you?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No, it'll just make it harder."

"Okay," he said, accepting it. "We'll talk okay? We'll make it work. If it does, it does and if it doesn't, well at least we can say we tried."

"Yeah," she said back, biting her lip. She was afraid to say what she was about to say because she hadn't said it in years but if she wanted to say all she had to say before she left, she knew it was the right time. "Yeah. I- will you help me with my bags?"

"Yeah, of course," Cole said, putting his warning lights on and putting the car in park. He got out of the car and opened the trunk, getting Greer's suitcases out of it, setting them down gently. "This is it."

She nodded and the two shared a sweet, tender kiss.

"I love you," she said.

Cole's eyes widened as this was the first time she had said that and the first time he'd say it too, "I love you too."

She smiled, warm feelings filling her up as she kissed him one last time, before going into the airport. Cole stood there, watching her leave. As hard as it was to see her go, he had a feeling they'd make it work.

_"Your immortal smile is burned in me. When I close my eyes, it's all see. Among the canyons and the stars, you're the guide inside my heart. I'm just waiting for my chance to come…"_

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_And you're just looking for a way outta here. Yeah, a way to see this old life all disappear. Take a gamble on your heart. It will lead you through the dark. You're just waiting for your chance to come…"_

"Would you two stop? It's almost as bad as Mom and Dad," Jude groaned, teasingly covering his eyes as he walked in on John and Renee sharing a kiss in the kitchen as they made lunch for their picnic.

"It's not my fault you can't tell when a room is otherwise occupied. You brought this on yourself," John replied.

"Yeah, I'm going to go with that," Renee said, looking from John to Jude.

"Well, we'll get out of your hair. We're about done here," John said, packing up the stuff in a brown paper bag and taking Renee's hand in his. "We should probably hurry. It looks like it's about to pour out there."

"Beating the rain… I'm not sure it works that way, babe," Renee started.

John shrugged, "If it rains, it rains."

Jude chuckled, watching the two go. He remembered what it felt like to be eighteen and in love. Not that being with Anna was at all like being eighteen in love – naïve and not as grounded in reality – but seeing his brother in love like that just made him miss her all that much more.

"Hey, Jude?" John called, coming back into the room.

"What? You forget your keys or something?" Jude asked back.

"Not exactly," John said, and from the look on his face, something was up.

"Uhh, okay," Jude said back, following John to the door. His heart practically stopped when he saw Anna standing on his front porch.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," Jude said back, still in shock.

"So… I'm just going to leave you two crazy kids alone," John said, excusing himself from the awkward situation, meeting Renee down the front porch steps at the car. Jude heard the car turn on and knew John was leaving now.

"I uh… what are you doing here?" Jude managed to get out.

"Oh. Well, that's a funny story actually. I was in the neighborhood, you know, on the way back from Pennsylvania to Washington. That's the house we go to when my parents aren't actually traveling. They're only back for like a week, but Effie's coming home too and, well, we figured we'd all have a nice "family" week together," Anna said.

"And this is what you call "in the neighborhood"?" Jude asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah… right… uh… look, I've been thinking…" she trailed off.

"Anna Peters, you're not one to pick up the phone, are you?" John asked, referring to the time he learned she was on campus.

"Jude, would you just let me finish?!" she exclaimed agitatedly and nervously.

"Yeah, sorry," he apologized.

"I think we should see each other. I hate the way things ended and I-, well, I'll be in Pennsylvania this summer working so will you for the research internship and I think we should make an effort to see each other. I don't want to lose you, Jude," Anna said.

Jude nodded, "I'd like that."

"Me too," she smiled back.

"D-do you want to come in? I mean, you flew all this way and-," Jude stammered.

"Oh, no. It's just a layover. A really long layover, but I should be getting back to the airport," Anna said, taking a deep breath. She had said her peace and felt a whole lot better.

"You want me to drive you?" Jude asked.

"Oh, no. The taxi is right out there," Anna said, gesturing towards the taxi parked outside of his house.

"Gotcha. Didn't see that. I was uh… otherwise distracted," Jude said back.

Anna chuckled, "Yeah, you're right. I'm not one to pick up the phone."

"So I guess this is-," Jude started.

"See you later. I'll see you later, Jude," Anna completed.

He smiled, "Okay. I guess this is see you later then."

The two leaned in and shared somewhat of an awkward hug before she kissed him on the cheek and left for the airport. Jude watched as she left and smiled to himself.

_"'Cause it's hard to feel like, you're worth something in this life. When you're walking next to me, I can hear my body speak. We're just waiting for a chance to come. We're just waiting for a chance to come…"_

* * *

><p>John's cell phone buzzed, causing him to start, as he and Renee walked along the riverside. She carefully balanced herself on the rocky buffer as she walked along it, John walking on solid ground. He had a text from his mom and quickly texted back his response before shoving his phone back into his pocket.<p>

"Sorry, that was my mom," he started.

"Everything okay?" Renee asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Mom just wanted to know what I wanted for dinner," John answered.

"Gotcha. Man, it really looks like it's going to pour. I'm surprised it hasn't yet," Renee said, looking up at the sky that was getting darker and cloudier by the minute. They had been out for at least four hours now. They had started at Falls Park, having lunch and just talking before trying to the Sioux Falls River for a walk and a hot and heavy make out session that lasted for God knows how long.

"Well maybe time's on our side today. After all, it is our graduation day," John said, swiftly wrapping his arms around Renee's waist and pulling her from the rocky path, and down to the ground, causing her to squeal and laugh.

"John, what're you doing?" she exclaimed through laughter.

"I'm saving you from potential injury. See what a good boyfriend I am?" he joked.

"My savior!" she cried out, sarcastically.

John chuckled, leaning for a kiss when the two of them felt a huge raindrop fall down upon them. Renee looked up, seeing the rain drops get more and more frequent.

"Or maybe time isn't on our side," she said. "Ahhh!" The rain began to get heavier and heavier as she grabbed John's hand, pulling him back towards the path so that they could get to the car as soon as possible. "Come on, John!"

"Ah! It's raining cats and dogs out here!" John exclaimed as the two ran as fast as they could back to the car. The two arrived at the car, out of breath and panting, but giggling at each other. "Come on. I'll take you home. I should be getting home anyways. Mom and Dad want to do graduation dinner before we're swept away in the many graduation parties that are happening tomorrow."

"Are we still going to all of those?" Renee asked.

"If you're up to it," John answered.

Renee nodded, "I feel like we should…"

"Yeah," John agreed. "Have I ever told you how hot you look in the rain?"

Renee rolled her eyes, "John, I thought we stopped those cheesy lines back when I agreed to actually date you."

"What? It's true," he asked, innocently.

"You're so corny," she replied.

"You love it," he smirked, before pressing her up against the 1963 Mercury comet and kissing her passionately. Renee gladly kissed back as the two shared a passionate lip lock in the pouring rain. It was one of those warm summer rains that practically made you want to be kissing someone in it.

"How's that for corny?" he asked pulling away.

She shook her head, "Come on. Let's go home."

_"And no one's gunna get in my way. Gunna figure it out for myself. Yeah no one's gunna make me stay. Gunna figure it out for myself…"_

* * *

><p>John opened the door to his house and could already hear his family abuzz and running all over the place to get dinner ready. John locked the door behind him and removed his wet shoes and socks, leaving them at the door.<p>

"Oh, go get silverware!" he heard someone say, before his disappeared upstairs, quickly drying off and changing into some basketball shorts and a grey v neck t shirt, before hurrying back downstairs.

"Dude, when did you get home?" Jude asked, seeing John come down the stairs.

"Couple of minutes ago," John shrugged.

"Didn't hear you come in," Jude said.

"I'm a ninja like that," John bragged, causing Jude to roll his eyes. "So uh… you and Anna? Chicks don't just show up at your doorstep for nothing."

"We had a nice talk," Jude replied.

"Talk or… talk?" John asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Talk," Jude answered, straightly.

"That sucks," John said.

Jude shook his head, "Nah, it was good. We needed to talk. No, we did not have sex, John!"

"Alright, alright," John chuckled.

"Hey, you're home! When'd you come in, graduate?" Meredith asked, seeing her two oldest sons.

"He ninjaed his way through the door," Jude answered for John.

"See? I'm not the only one who does that," Dean said, placing his hands on his wife's hips as he scooted past her, but not before kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah, whatever," she said to Dean. She then turned her attention to her sons. "We thought we'd have another unconventional takeout living room floor dinner tonight to celebrate both of our graduates."

"Aw shucks, Mom," Jude replied jokingly.

"What'd we end up getting?" John asked. "I'm starving!"

"Greasy Chinese food. The best, actually," Victoria chimed in, walking from the kitchen to the living room with sturdy paper plates in her hands. "Come on, you two. Dinner's all laid out on the floor anyways." She and Flynn sat down on the pillows that were laid out on the floor around the take out. She placed the plates on the table cloth next to the silverware.

John turned his attention to the living room floor which had a table cloth on it, containing tons of takeout boxes on it.

"Sweet," he said, nodding.

"Alright, what's everyone having to drink?" Dean asked.

"I'll take a beer," Jude said.

"That's my boy," Dean smiled.

"I'll take one too!" John called after them. Meredith was okay with John having a beer, but the next surprise her.

"Hey, can I have one?" Flynn asked, camera strung around his neck and ready to snap away family photographs.

"No," Meredith said.

"Oh come on, Mer. They're what… fifteen? You'd had a beer way before you were fifteen," Dean said back.

"Okay, if Flynn has one, I want one!" Victoria said.

"Dean!" Meredith protested, her eyes widening.

"Woah, Mom doing illegal stuff? I don't believe it," Flynn said, leaning in for details.

"Yes, Mom. Do tell," Victoria requested.

"I-, your grandfather, gave me one when I was thirteen," Meredith admitted, reluctantly.

"Oh come on. That's one beer. We want the good stuff!" Flynn demanded.

"It's okay, honey. I'll tell them," Dean smirked, returning with several beers. He even made a second trip.

"You're shameless, you know that?" she asked.

"You love me," he said, leaning in and kissing her. He took the second set of beers back to the floor, setting them down on the table cloth and sitting down.

"Oh, this is good. I want to hear this," Jude smiled, mischievously, he and John exchanging glances and heading over to the living room floor. Meredith joined them, taking a seat next to her husband who happened to be exposing all of her secrets at the moment.

"Well, your freshmen… sophomore?" Dean started.

"I don't remember anymore," Meredith said.

"Well, sometime in high school, either freshmen or sophomore year, the homecoming dance was coming up and since your mother didn't want to go, even though I said I'd take her," Dean continued.

"Babe, that wasn't really my thing!" Meredith interrupted.

"I know, I know, but let me finish. So instead of going to the dance, I took Meredith out to the back of the salvage yard in one of Bobby's old cars and we got totally wasted together," Dean announced.

"You did not!" Victoria exclaimed.

"Mom, you boozy!" John joked.

Flynn stood there, jaw dropped, "I can't believe it."

"Nope… it uh… it happened. While I don't really remember 'it', I remember the lecture I got after it from Bobby and my dad. Yep, that happened to be the night my dad came home. I also remember, all too well, the hours spent in bathroom, puking my guts up," Meredith said, shuddering at the thought.

"Wait, so was this before you guys got together?" Jude asked.

"Yeah, it was way before," Meredith said.

"Well, not way before," Dean said back.

"Okay, as much as I love Mom's alcohol stories, I'm starving. Can we eat now?" Victoria asked.

"Oh, yeah of course!" Meredith said. "Guys, eat. No more alcohol stories."

"There are more?" John asked, intrigued.

"Well actually-," Dean started.

"No, there aren't," she cut him off, elbowing him in the ribcage.

"Ow!" he exclaimed,

"Sorry, baby," Meredith smiled, kissing him once.

"Ew, guys!" Jude exclaimed. He looked over at John. "You won't miss that, huh?" And then addressed the twins, "Sucks for you guys," causing everyone to laugh.

"Wow, I didn't realize how hungry I was," John said, looking at the food.

"You're always hungry," Victoria and Flynn said in unison.

"Don't worry. It's a Winchester thing," Jude added.

John looked around the room at his family as they all helped themselves to dinner, just sitting, talking, and laughing. Although he was going off to college, and most likely not moving back any time soon, he knew he'd always have a home and people that loved him and 1352 Sycamore Court. Sioux Falls, South Dakota – where it all began.

_"'Cause I don't need nothing. I'm just waiting for my chance to come…"_


End file.
